ICC to press on with duties despite Trump sanctions, condemns US new president
Donald Trump signed an order to impose sanctions on its staff and their families
The International Criminal Court (ICC) has said it will soldier on with its judicial duties, even after US President Donald Trump signed an order to impose sanctions on its staff and their families.
Trump’s order had accused the Hague-based ICC of ‘illegitimate and baseless actions’ after the ICC issued an arrest warrant for Prime Minister of Israel Benjamin Netanyahu over alleged war crimes in Gaza. Others co-accused are former Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant and a senior Hamas official.
Trump defined Israel as “a democratic state whose military strictly adheres to the laws of war”. “The actions taken by the International Criminal Court against Israel and the United States set a dangerous precedent,” it continued, accusing the ICC of “malign behavior that threatens to violate American sovereignty and undermine national security and foreign policy”.
The ICC, not bowing down to pressure said the order seeks to harm its independent and impartial judicial work. It has also pledged that it will continue providing justice and hope to millions of innocent victims across the world.
The sanction will see all the staff of the ICC have their assets frozen and being banned from entering the United States. This could disrupt their personal and professional lives.
It will also see the institution have operational challenges it had taken early precautionary measures including giving staff three-month advance on their salaries and moving money from the US based back accounts. However, some senior staff have opted to resign in order to avoid the repercussions of the sanctions.
The sanctions could also impact investigations by the institutions. This is because they might have a hard time finding or accessing sources or even cooperation from other countries. This is as a result of the sanctions and not many countries want to have sanctions against them.
The United States and Israel are not member partners of the ICC but the sanctions will affect the global court’s operational capability because the drastic move targets individuals who assist the ICC in its investigations.
The sanction has also led to a number of reactions from various people including European Commission president Ursula von de Leyen, who said on an X post that ICC must be able to freely pursue the fight against global impunity.
Amnesty international on the other hand labeled the move as reckless, while The Netherlands, which hosts the ICC said it ‘regrets’ the order saying the courts work is essential in the fight against impunity. UN and legal experts have also chipped in saying the plan would be illegal under international law.
These sanctions are a show of support after Netanyahu visited the White House. Trump had then announced a plan for US to ‘take over’ Gaza and move Palestinians to other Middle Eastern countries.
