US Sanctions ICC President and Prosecutor, Vows to 'Dismantle' Court

The United States has escalated its conflict with the International Criminal Court (ICC) by designating its president and chief prosecutor for sanctions. This move, announced on October 18th, prohibits them from entering the U.S., freezes any assets they hold within U.S. jurisdiction, and restricts dealings with American individuals and companies.

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The International Criminal Court is a corrupt and seriously politicized transnational tribunal that has maliciously abused its authority.

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo vehemently criticized the ICC, labeling it a "corrupt and seriously politicized" transnational tribunal that has "maliciously abused" its authority. He vowed that further measures would be taken to "systematically dismantle" the court. The ICC, established in 2002 in The Hague, Netherlands, under the Rome Statute, investigates and prosecutes individuals for grave international crimes, including war crimes, genocide, and crimes against humanity.

These sanctions are widely interpreted as a retaliatory response to the ICC's actions concerning U.S. interests. This includes the court's decision in 2020 to investigate alleged war crimes by U.S. forces in Afghanistan and, more recently, its issuance of arrest warrants in February for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and others on charges related to the war in Gaza.

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We will take additional measures to systematically dismantle it.

The ICC, in a statement, condemned the U.S. actions, asserting that targeting judges, prosecutors, and staff undermines the rule of law and hinders the court's ability to carry out its mandate. The U.S. is not a state party to the Rome Statute, which governs the ICC.

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Such measures against judges, prosecutors, and staff of the Court who are carrying out the mandate conferred upon them by the Rome Statute affect the court's ability to carry out its work and thus constitute an attack on the rule of law.