ICC Condemns US Sanctions and Reaffirms Commitment to Justice

The International Criminal Court (ICC) condemned the recent US sanctions imposed on its officials following an Executive Order signed by US President Donald Trump on Thursday. The sanctions were introduced after the ICC issued arrest warrants against prominent Israeli officials, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant.

In a statement released Friday morning, the ICC decried the sanctions, calling them a direct attack on its independence and impartiality. "The ICC condemns the issuance by the US of an Executive Order seeking to impose sanctions on its officials and harm its independent and impartial judicial work," the statement read. The Court vowed to continue its mission of providing justice to innocent victims around the world, calling on its 125 State Parties, civil society, and global nations to stand united in support of justice and human rights.

The US sanctions, according to the executive order, are a direct response to what the Trump administration claims is the ICC's overreach in issuing "baseless arrest warrants" against Israeli leaders. The order emphasizes that both the US and Israel are not parties to the Rome Statute, the founding treaty of the ICC, and therefore do not recognize the court's jurisdiction.

The sanctions, described as "tangible and significant," include freezing the property and assets of ICC officials, suspending their entry into the US, and extending these consequences to their families. The US administration justified these actions by citing the ICC's alleged abuse of power, as both countries are not signatories to the Rome Statute and have not accepted the court’s authority.