Key points
- ICC paying salaries in advance to shield staff from US sanctions
- Financial restrictions could cripple war crimes tribunal
- ICC can prosecute individuals for war crimes
THE HAGUE: The International Criminal Court (ICC) has taken measures to shield staff from possible US sanctions, paying salaries three months in advance, as it braces for financial restrictions that could cripple the war crimes tribunal, Reuters reported.
The US House of Representatives voted this month to punish the court for issuing arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former defence minister over Israel’s campaign in Gaza, according to Reuters.
The bill would impose sanctions on any foreigner who investigates, arrests, detains or prosecutes US citizens, or those of allied countries that are not members of the court.
Major financial fallout
While the exact scope of the sanctions and the targets are still unclear, the court is preparing for major financial fallout, Reuters cited sources as saying.
Reuters reported that the ICC said that it would not comment on any internal steps that may have been taken to protect the organisation and its staff.
The bill’s sponsors stated they wanted a vote as soon as possible, which could be next week, but legislators have been busy confirming officials for new US President Donald Trump’s administration.
It will be the second time the ICC has faced US retaliation as a result of its work. During the first Trump administration in 2020, the US imposed sanctions on then-prosecutor Fatou Bensouda and one of her top aides over the ICC’s investigation into alleged war crimes by US troops in Afghanistan.
Undermine court’s operations
Any banks with ties to the United States, or who conduct transactions in dollars, are expected to have to comply with the sanctions, severely limiting the ICC’s ability to carry out financial transactions.
The 125-member ICC is a permanent court that can prosecute individuals for war crimes, crimes against humanity, genocide, and the crime of aggression against the territory of member states or by their nationals. The United States, China, Russia, and Israel are not members.
In December, the court’s president, judge Tomoko Akane, warned that sanctions would “rapidly undermine the Court’s operations in all situations and cases”.
