(VOR News) – The ICC asked its members to oppose Trump’s sanctions on Friday, saying they “harm its independent and impartial judicial work.”
The US’s allies have backed Europe’s troublesome court.
Sanctions weaken the ICC’s and the global criminal justice system’s autonomy, says European Council President António Costa, who leads the 27 EU leaders’ summits. Since Trump took office last month, no EU official has criticized him.
The White House issued an executive order against the International Criminal Court on Thursday for “illegitimate and baseless actions targeting America and our close ally Israel.”
Trump issued an executive order in response to the ICC’s arrest warrant for Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu over suspected war crimes in Gaza last year. The US and Israel don’t recognize the court’s members or power.
In retaliation for Hamas’ October 2023 onslaught on southern Israel that killed almost 1,200, the Israeli force has slain tens of thousands of Palestinians, including kids. The Gaza Health Ministry reports all Palestinian deaths, combatants or civilians.
“International law is global.”
The ICC in The Hague “condemned” the Trump administration. The court is devoted to its staff and to delivering justice and hope to the millions of innocent victims of global disasters.
The proclamation said, “We urge all nations, civil society, and our 125 States Parties to unite in support of human rights and justice.” Germany sympathized and pledged to monitor the US sanctions’ effects.
“Encouraging international law and the International Criminal Court is in our own maximum security interest,” remarked German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock. She added that the court, which has the support of over 120 states, is “one of the most significant accomplishments of international criminal law.”
Baerbock said, “Putin wants the ICC to be inactive.” “Putin had to admit that his crimes against humanity, like abducting Ukrainian kids, have consequences over the last three years.”
She noted that Putin skipped the BRICS summit, which convened developing nations in South Africa, and said “international law is applicable to all.”
“The court’s work is vital.”
The ICC “must be able to freely pursue the fight against global impunity,” says European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. Europe will always support global justice and law.
The Netherlands condemned Trump’s conduct. “The Netherlands regrets the executive order sanctioning the International Criminal Court.” The foreign minister, Caspar Veldkamp, stressed the court’s importance in fighting impunity.
The Dutch government is trying to help the court avert the fallout. Trump’s executive order stated that the US will punish those responsible for the ICC’s “transgressions.” Options include barring ICC officials, workers, and family from entering the US and seizing their assets.
The State Department and U.S. Treasury will select the sanctioned people and organizations.
The US was furious with the ICC when a temporary panel of justices issued arrest warrants for Netanyahu, his ex-defense minister, and Hamas’ military chief in November. The Gaza War has been linked to war crimes and crimes against humanity.
The warrants say that Netanyahu and Yoav Gallant, Israel’s ex-defense minister, purposely withheld aid to anyone involved in the Gaza-Hamas battle. Israel denies these claims. Staff and research funding is in jeopardy.
Human rights groups oppose US sanctions.
Sanctions are for human rights violators, not those who hold them accountable, said Liz Evenson, Human Rights Watch’s international justice director. “Trump’s executive order is like Russia’s strategy of issuing arrest warrants for judges and prosecutors to impede the court’s operations,” she remarked.
Court officials have been prepping for fines for months. The court gave staff a three-month compensation advance, according to two unnamed people who talked to the AP in January.
If the court is sanctioned by the US, the organization may not be able to pay personnel, finance investigations, or access data from US servers. Two senior court workers quit after Trump’s election to avoid retaliation.
“The ICC is breaking the law.”
Hungary backed Trump in a split West. Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó said, “The ICC has become a biased political tool, discrediting the entire international court system.” In already insecure places, its policies have made instability worse.
Gideon Sa’ar, Israel’s foreign minister, says that the ICC’s operations are immoral and unconstitutional. Trump has two cases. He sanctioned a deputy and ex-prosecutor Fatou Bensouda for their role in the Afghanistan crime inquiry during his last tenure. Biden entered office in 2021 and lifted sanctions.
SOURCE: AP
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