ICC Condemns New US Sanctions on Judges and Prosecutors
The International Criminal Court (ICC) has strongly denounced fresh US sanctions targeting four of its officials, calling them “a flagrant attack against the independence of an impartial judicial institution.” The sanctions hit Canadian judge Kimberly Prost, French judge Nicolas Guillou, and deputy prosecutors Nazhat Shameem Khan of Fiji and Mame Mandiaye Niang of Senegal.
The sanctions come amid tensions over ICC investigations into alleged war crimes in Afghanistan, as well as arrest warrants issued last year for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former defence minister Yoav Gallant. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio defended the sanctions, calling the court “a national security threat” and “an instrument of lawfare” against the US and Israel. Netanyahu welcomed the sanctions, calling it a “firm measure against the mendacious smear campaign” against Israel.
The ICC insisted it “stands firmly behind its personnel and victims of unimaginable atrocities” and vowed to continue its work on cases of genocide, war crimes, and crimes against humanity “without regard to any restriction, pressure or threat.” France voiced “dismay” over the sanctions against Guillou, while the UN warned the measures “undermine the foundation of international justice.”
