US sanctions ‘serious attacks’ on international order, says ICC president

THE HAGUE: The president of the International Criminal Court on Friday hit out at the announced US sanctions against her institution, describing them as “serious attacks” against the global law-based order.

US President Donald Trump´s order against the court was “the latest in a series of unprecedented and escalatory attacks aiming to undermine the Court´s ability to administer justice”, said Tomoko Akane in a statement.

“Such threats and coercive measures constitute serious attacks against the Court´s States Parties, the rule of law based international order and millions of victims,” she added.

On Thursday, Trump signed an Executive Order placing sanctions on the ICC, angry over its probe into alleged Israeli war crimes in Gaza.

The measures included asset freezes and travel bans against ICC officials, employees and their family members, along with anyone deemed to have helped the court´s investigations.

“We firmly reject any attempt to influence the independence and the impartiality of the Court or to politicise our judicial function,” said Akane.

She said she had noted with “deep regret” Trump´s order and stressed that the ICC is “indispensable” given the atrocities being committed around the world.Earlier, US President Donald Trump authorised economic and travel sanctions targeting people who work on International Criminal Court investigations of US citizens or US allies such as Israel, repeating action he took during his first term.The move coincides with a visit to Washington by Israel’s Prime Minister Benajmin Netanyahu, who — along with his former defense minister and a leader of group Hamas — is wanted by the ICC over the conflict in the Gaza Strip.

It was unclear how quickly the US would announce names of people sanctioned. During the first Trump administration in 2020, Washington imposed sanctions on then-prosecutor Fatou Bensouda and one of her top aides over the ICC’s investigation into alleged war crimes by American troops in Afghanistan.

The ICC did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The sanctions include freezing any US assets of those designated and barring them and their families from visiting the United States.