US Imposes Sanctions on International Criminal Court Itself

𝐁𝐲 𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐟𝐟 𝐑𝐞𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐞𝐫

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐔𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐬 𝐡𝐚𝐬 𝐢𝐦𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐞𝐝 𝐬𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐈𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐂𝐫𝐢𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐂𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐭 (𝐈𝐂𝐂) 𝐚𝐬 𝐚𝐧 𝐢𝐧𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐭𝐮𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧, 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐟𝐢𝐫𝐬𝐭 𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞 𝐖𝐚𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐭𝐨𝐧 𝐡𝐚𝐬 𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐠𝐞𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐛𝐮𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐢𝐭𝐬𝐞𝐥𝐟 𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐧 𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐯𝐢𝐝𝐮𝐚𝐥𝐬 𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐤𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐢𝐭, 𝐚𝐜𝐜𝐨𝐫𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐨 𝐚 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐔𝐒 𝐠𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐧𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭. 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐭 𝐡𝐚𝐬 𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐩𝐨𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐮𝐫𝐞𝐬 𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐫𝐮𝐥𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐥𝐚𝐰.

The measures, announced on October 9, cut the court off from the American financial system and freeze any ICC money or property in the United States. They also make it illegal for Americans and American companies to do business with the court.

In a statement sent to reporters, the ICC said sanctions on its top members undermine the rule of law, according to France 24. “When judicial actors are threatened for applying the law, it is the international legal order itself that is placed at risk,” the court said.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the US never joined the court and that its people are not subject to its jurisdiction. Washington argues the ICC claims the power to investigate and prosecute US service members, border agents and elected officials, and notes that American presidents of both parties have declined to ratify the treaty that created it.

The US had earlier sanctioned 17 people connected to the court, most recently in August.

The Treasury Department has issued narrow exceptions, valid for 180 days, allowing the ICC to maintain its operations, run its computer systems, pay staff pensions and care for detainees. Rubio said the window is meant to give the court’s member states a chance to negotiate and address US concerns, adding that Washington holds out hope for a diplomatic solution.

US Ambassador to the European Union Andrew Puzder said the court has lost credibility and succumbed to political biases. Ambassador to the Netherlands Joe Popolo wrote in the Dutch newspaper Het Financieele Dagblad that the US position is not a retreat from the pursuit of justice, and that other models of international justice are less open to political abuse.

As an example of the court’s shortcomings, the State Department said the ICC spent seven years investigating former Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro without producing results.

Washington says Naoero withdrew from the court in September, and it has urged all other member states to follow. Rubio has warned that “either the ICC will end its threats, or we will end the ICC.”