EU leaders voice support for ICC after US sanctions

Brussels: The European Union (EU) leaders on Wednesday voiced firm support for the International Criminal Court (ICC), a day after the United States imposed sanctions on the court’s president and a senior lawyer.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and European Council President Antonio Costa said on social media platform X that they stood firmly with the ICC, its President Tomoko Akane and officials working to uphold its mission.

“The ICC helps deliver justice to the victims of some of the world’s most horrific crimes,” they said, adding that the court’s judges and officials must be able to carry out their work independently and without external pressure, Xinhua news agency reported.

The Trump administration on Tuesday imposed sanctions on two senior officials of the ICC, including its president, as Washington stepped up its campaign against the Hague-based tribunal.

The sanctions target ICC President Tomoko Akane of Japan, and ICC Senior Trial Lawyer, Abdoulaye Seye of Senegal, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in a statement, accusing them of having “directly engaged in efforts by the ICC to investigate, arrest, detain, or prosecute officials whose government has not consented to ICC jurisdiction.”

“The ICC has repeatedly attempted to assert authority over nationals of the United States and other countries that have not consented to its jurisdiction or ratified the Rome Statute,” Rubio said. “This sets a dangerous precedent for all nations.”

The sanctions generally prohibit US persons from conducting transactions with Akane and Seye and effectively bar the two officials from accessing the US financial system.

The United States is not a party to the Rome Statute, the treaty that established the ICC, and rejects the tribunal’s efforts to exercise jurisdiction over nationals of non-member states, including US personnel and Israeli officials.

Tensions surged after the ICC issued arrest warrants in 2024 for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and then-Defence Minister Yoav Gallant over war crimes and crimes against humanity related to the Gaza conflict. The ICC maintains it holds jurisdiction over alleged crimes committed within member territories, regardless of the suspect’s citizenship.

IANS