US sanctions on ICC judges
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Kenneth Roth Publishes Opinion on US Sanctions Against International Criminal Court
Venezuela and Chad announced their withdrawal from the International Criminal Court.
The ICC brought charges against Benjamin Netanyahu and former Israeli defense minister Yoav Gallant over the deprivation and deliberate starvation of Palestinian civilians in Gaza.
Sanctions were imposed on ICC President Tomoko Akane and senior ICC trial lawyer Abdoulaye Seye.
“We expect more countries to join our campaign by ending their funding and participation in this politicized and unaccountable court.”
Could US sanctions destroy the International Criminal Court?
US sanctions sitting ICC president
The ICC said the sanctions undermine the rule of law and amount to a flagrant attack against the independence of an impartial judicial institution
The ICC maintains it can exercise jurisdiction over nationals of non-member states accused of qualifying crimes committed on the territory of a state that has accepted the court's jurisdiction
Qualifying crimes under the Rome Statute include genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes and the crime of aggression
“These individuals have directly engaged in efforts by the ICC to investigate, arrest, detain, or prosecute officials whose government has not consented to ICC jurisdiction,”
ICC condemns US sanctions as attack on its independence
The ICC issued an arrest warrant for Russian President Vladimir Putin in 2023, prompting Moscow to issue its own arrest warrants for senior court officials, including Akane.
Akane, a Japanese judge, has served as ICC president since her election in March 2024.
The US signed the Rome Statute establishing the ICC but never ratified the treaty, and Israel and Russia are not ICC members.
“These individuals have directly engaged in efforts by the ICC to investigate, arrest, detain, or prosecute officials whose government has not consented to ICC jurisdiction,”