Key points
- UN Calls on Trump to Reverse ICC Sanctions
- Trump’s order said ICC had “abused its power”
- ICC slams US sanctions
GENEVA: The United Nations on Friday urged US President Donald Trump to reverse his decision to impose sanctions on the International Criminal Court.
Trump on Thursday signed an executive order accusing the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague of “abusing its power” after it issued an arrest warrant for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who had met with the US president on Tuesday.
The UN human rights office OHCHR said it fully supported the independent work of the court in all situations within its jurisdiction. OHCHR spokeswoman Ravina Shamdasani said the court was an essential part of the international human rights infrastructure.
Trump issued an order imposing asset freezes and travel bans on ICC officials, employees, their family members, and anyone considered to have assisted the court’s investigations.
“We deeply regret the individual sanctions announced yesterday against court personnel, and call for this measure to be reversed,” said Shamdasani.
Trump’s order stated that the tribunal had taken “illegitimate and baseless actions” against the US and its ally Israel, citing investigations into alleged war crimes committed by US service members in Afghanistan and Israeli forces in Gaza.
The ICC issued arrest warrants on November 21 for Netanyahu, his former defence minister Yoav Gallant, and Hamas’ military chief Mohammed Deif — whom Israel says is dead
ICC slams US sanctions
The International Criminal Court on Friday condemned the US sanctions on the institution, reiterating its resolve to provide “justice and hope” around the world.
“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 court said in a statement.
“The Court stands firmly by its personnel and pledges to continue providing justice and hope to millions of innocent victims of atrocities across the world,” added the court.
EU warns against US sanctions
The European Union on Friday cautioned that sanctions against the International Criminal Court (ICC) could jeopardize its independence and the broader judicial system, following US President Donald Trump’s punitive measures in response to the court’s investigations into the US and Israel.
The European Commission separately expressed “regret” regarding Trump’s sanctions, stressing the ICC’s “key importance in upholding international criminal justice and the fight against impunity.”
Netanyahu welcomes US sanctions against ICC
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has thanked US President Donald Trump for imposing sanctions on the International Criminal Court (ICC).
“Thank you, President Trump, for your bold ICC Executive Order,” Netanyahu said in a statement released by his office.
