US President Donald Trump’s administration imposed sanctions on the International Criminal Court on Friday, hours after one of its former judges won the Nobel Peace Prize, putting Washington on a diplomatic collision course with European allies.
The court denounced the move as an “assault on the rule of law and on the very foundations of the international legal order,” and called on its 125 member states to take action to defend it.
“The Court cannot stand alone. Its fate now rests also in the hands of the states that created it,” it said in a statement. “This is not just about defending a single institution, but about safeguarding the international order grounded upon the rule of law. History will judge this moment.”
The Trump administration has long been hostile to the court, founded in 2002 to prosecute war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide, and has previously imposed sanctions on its prosecutors and judges.
Friday’s move goes much further, potentially punishing companies that provide services to the court itself, amounting to an unprecedented attack on an institution founded on an international treaty. The US initially signed the Rome Statute that founded the court but never ratified it.
SANCTIONS INCLUDE GRACE PERIOD
Rubio in his statement cited calls from outside experts for the ICC to prosecute American service members, border patrol agents and elected leaders. ICC officials have not taken steps toward such prosecutions.
“The sanctions are intended to undermine the rule of law internationally and the work that an independent judicial institution is doing,” ICC Deputy Prosecutor Nazhat Shameem Khan told Reuters. “Our work will continue across all our situations, our investigations and our prosecutions.”
EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said on social media that the six-month period “offers a window for dialogue” but added that the bloc “has options to ensure that (the ICC) can continue its vital work.” Belgium’s foreign minister called for an EU blocking statute to be activated to protect the court.
The ICC has issued arrest warrants against more than 70 people, including world leaders and major figures in global conflicts. In addition to Netanyahu, it has sought the arrest of Hamas figures. Others who were the subject of arrest warrants include Russian President Vladimir Putin, former Sudan President Omar al-Bashir and former Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi. Charges against Kenyan President William Ruto and former Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta were withdrawn.