Washington: The United States on Friday imposed sanctions on the International Criminal Court (ICC) as an institution, escalating its confrontation with the global tribunal while allowing certain operations to continue for 180 days to provide an opportunity for a diplomatic settlement.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced the decision, saying Washington would not accept the court’s jurisdiction over American citizens, military personnel or political leaders.
The ICC rejected the sanctions, calling them an unprecedented attack on an independent judicial institution and warning that they threatened international efforts to prosecute war crimes and other serious offences.
“President Trump will never allow the International Criminal Court to prosecute Americans,” Rubio said in a statement.
“That is why, today, the United States is sanctioning the International Criminal Court. We will ban transactions with this rogue court, cutting off their resources and crippling its ability to operate.”
The sanctions were imposed under Executive Order 14203, which authorises restrictions against the court and individuals involved in certain investigations or proceedings opposed by Washington.
The State Department said the United States had previously sanctioned 17 people under the order. Friday’s action extends the restrictions to the institution itself.
Under the new designation, the court’s property and interests in property within US jurisdiction are blocked.
However, the Treasury Department simultaneously issued several general licences permitting specified activities to continue.
These include a 180-day authorisation for certain activities necessary to maintain the court’s operations, along with separate authorisations covering information technology services, including cloud computing and software, pension arrangements and activities related to ICC detainees.
The State Department said the temporary operational authorisation was intended to give countries that are parties to the court’s founding treaty time to address American concerns.
Rubio said Washington had delayed sanctioning the institution while seeking changes through diplomatic engagement.
“However, neither the ICC nor States Parties have yet taken meaningful steps to address our concerns,” he said.
He warned that further measures could follow if negotiations failed.
“Either the ICC will end its threats, or we will end the ICC,” Rubio said.
The court, based in The Hague, rejected Washington’s accusations and said the sanctions were intended to obstruct its judicial work.
“This measure targets an independent judicial institution, created by treaty and entrusted by 125 States Parties with investigating and prosecuting genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes, and the crime of aggression,” the ICC said.
It described the sanctions as an attempt to prevent the court from fulfilling its mandate and intimidate those working with it.
ICC President Tomoko Akane said the tribunal would continue its work despite the restrictions.
“The Court will continue to fully discharge its mandate, with independence and impartiality, acting only on the basis of the law and the evidence, for the sake of the countless victims of grave crimes,” Akane said.
The ICC called on its member states to ensure that it retained the financial and operational resources necessary to continue its activities.
The United States has never joined the ICC, which was established under the Rome Statute to prosecute genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes and aggression when national authorities are unwilling or unable to pursue qualifying cases.
(IANS)
