AhlulBayt News Agency: The International Criminal Court (ICC) has condemned the United States for imposing sanctions on four of its judges, calling the move a “clear attempt” to undermine the court’s independence.
On Thursday, the US government announced sanctions against four ICC judges, citing their involvement in issuing an arrest warrant for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Under the sanctions, the four female judges will be barred from entering the US, and any property or financial interests they hold in the country will be frozen.
These measures are typically applied to policymakers from US adversaries, rather than judicial officials.
Rejecting the move, the ICC reaffirmed its support for its personnel, vowing to continue its work undeterred.
“These measures are a clear attempt to undermine the independence of an international judicial institution, which operates under the mandate of 125 States Parties from across the globe,” the court stated from The Hague.
The ICC emphasized that targeting those working for accountability only emboldens individuals who believe they can act with impunity.
“The ICC stands fully behind its personnel and will continue its work undeterred,” the statement read.
“Targeting those working for accountability does nothing to help civilians trapped in conflict. It only emboldens those who believe they can act with impunity,” the court added.
In November 2024, the ICC issued arrest warrants for Netanyahu and his former minister of military affairs, Yoav Gallant, citing crimes against humanity and war crimes related to Israel’s military campaign in Gaza.
The ruling obliges all 125 countries that signed the Rome Statute, which established the ICC, to detain and surrender the pair to the Hague-based court.
Neither the United States nor Israel are parties to the Rome Statute, which governs the ICC’s investigations into individuals suspected of the world’s worst crimes.
The ICC stated that it “provides justice and hope to millions of victims of unimaginable atrocities.”
Israel launched its military campaign in Gaza on October 7, 2023, following a Hamas operation against Israeli forces in retaliation for Tel Aviv’s intensified atrocities against Palestinians.
So far, Israel has killed at least 54,677 Palestinians, mostly women and children, and injured 125,530 others, according to the Gaza Health Ministry.
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