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‘We cannot stand by as the United States threatens to dismantle the International Criminal Court’
🇳🇱 Netherlands /Crime & Justice

‘We cannot stand by as the United States threatens to dismantle the International Criminal Court’

From NRC Handelsblad · () Dutch

Translated from Dutch and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

Interview Named sources Ongoing story
  • Henk Naves, head of the Dutch Council for the Judiciary, says the Netherlands can no longer rely only on quiet diplomacy as the United States sanctions International Criminal Court officials.
  • The United States has sanctioned ICC President Tomoko Akane and prosecutor Abdoulaye Seye, after previously targeting eight other judges, the chief prosecutor and two deputies.
  • Naves called for a stronger Dutch response and action at European Union level, while acknowledging the importance of the Netherlands’ longstanding relationship with the United States.

For months, the Netherlands tried to defend the International Criminal Court quietly. Henk Naves, who heads the body representing and supporting Dutch courts, now says that approach no longer goes far enough as Washington steps up its pressure on the court.

“We cannot stand by as the United States threatens to dismantle the ICC,” Naves wrote in a statement in early August. His remarks followed a new round of US sanctions against Tomoko Akane, the Japanese judge who leads the court, and Abdoulaye Seye, a Senegalese ICC prosecutor.

We cannot stand by as the United States threatens to dismantle the ICC.

— Henk NavesThe head of the Dutch Council for the Judiciary called for a stronger response to US pressure on the court.

The measures freeze any US assets held by the targeted officials and cut them off from the American financial system. Because US companies control much of international payments, the sanctions can make ordinary transactions, such as booking a hotel or ordering a book, nearly impossible, the interview says. Eight other judges, the chief prosecutor and two deputy prosecutors had already been placed on the US sanctions list.

What I see as a major improvement is that the government has clearly spoken out.

— Henk NavesNaves assessed the Dutch government’s public condemnation of the latest US sanctions.

The latest measures prompted a more forceful response from the Dutch government. Foreign Minister Tom Berendsen condemned the action on social media that same evening. Naves welcomed the public statement, but said the Netherlands should also push for a response from the European Union.

Dutch policy had initially focused on private diplomacy. Naves said that choice reflected the country’s relationship with the United States, a longstanding ally and partner that had traditionally shared its view of the rule of law. He said governments do not immediately want to turn such a relationship into an open confrontation. But after a year and a half of problems surrounding the ICC, he argues that the circumstances have changed.

We have a relationship with a country that has always been an ally, a partner that shared our view of the rule of law.

— Henk NavesHe explained why the Netherlands initially favored quiet diplomacy with Washington.
About this summary

Originally published by NRC Handelsblad in Dutch. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

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