Trump administration imposes new sanctions on four ICC judges, prosecutors
Monitoring Desk
WASHINGTON: President Donald Trump’s administration on Wednesday imposed sanctions on two judges and two prosecutors at the International Criminal Court, as Washington ramped up its pressure on the war tribunal over its targeting of Israeli leaders and a past decision to investigate U.S. officials.
In a statement, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio called the court “a national security threat that has been an instrument for lawfare” against the United States and Israel.
Washington designated Nicolas YannGuillou of France, NazhatShameem Khan of Fiji, MameMandiayeNiang of Senegal, and Kimberly Prost of Canada, according to the U.S. Treasury and State Department. All officials have been involved in cases linked to Israel and the United States.
“United States has been clear and steadfast in our opposition to the ICC’s politicization, abuse of power, disregard for our national sovereignty, and illegitimate judicial overreach,” Rubio said.
The second round of sanctions comes less than three months after the administration took the unprecedented step of slapping sanctions on four separate ICC judges. It represents a serious escalation that will likely impede the functioning of the court and the prosecutor’s office as they deal with major cases, including war crime allegations against Russia over its invasion of Ukraine.
ICC, which had slammed the move in June as an attempt to undermine the independence of the judicial institution, and the office of the prosecutor, did not have immediate comment.
ICC judges issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, former Israeli defense chief YoavGallant, and Hamas leader Ibrahim al-Masri last November for alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity during the Gaza conflict.
In March 2020, prosecutors opened an investigation in Afghanistan that included looking into possible crimes by U.S. troops, but since 2021, it has deprioritized the role of the U.S. and focused on alleged crimes committed by the Afghan government and the Taliban forces.
Netanyahu’s office issued a statement welcoming the U.S. sanctions.
