The United States has further increased the pressure on the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague. The US government is placing four judges of the court on a sanctions list. They come from Benin, Slovenia, Peru, and Uganda.
They may experience problems with simple financial transactions due to the US measures, as all financial institutions that do business with the US are affected.
“As judges of the International Criminal Court, these four individuals have actively participated in the unlawful and unfounded actions of the Criminal Court against America or our close ally Israel,” said Secretary of State Marco Rubio in an explanation. He accused the ICC of being “politicized”.
The court responded with outrage to the decision. “These measures are clearly an attempt to undermine the independence of an international legal institution that operates under the mandate of 125 affiliated countries from all corners of the world,” the ICC said in a statement.
The court says it offers hope to millions of victims of “unimaginable atrocities.” Measures against ICC staff will, according to the statement, be seen as encouragement by “those who believe they can act with impunity.”
The ICC has existed since 2002 and prosecutes, among other things, suspects of genocide and crimes against humanity. The United States and Israel are not affiliated with the court.
The international court had already faced sanctions after President Donald Trump took office. Trump accused the ICC of, among other things, abuse of power by issuing arrest warrants against Israeli leaders such as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.