US sanctions ICC chief, vows wider campaign

Washington: The United States imposed sanctions on the International Criminal Court’s president and a senior trial lawyer, widening the Trump administration’s campaign against the tribunal and threatening further measures to curb its operations.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio said ICC President Tomoko Akane of Japan and Senior Trial Lawyer Abdoulaye Seye of Senegal had been designated under an executive order authorising sanctions against the court.

Rubio accused the two officials of direct involvement in ICC action against officials from countries that do not recognise the court’s jurisdiction.

“These individuals have directly engaged in efforts by the ICC to investigate, arrest, detain, or prosecute officials whose government has not consented to ICC jurisdiction,” he said in a statement.

The sanctions were imposed under Section 1(a)(ii)(A) of Executive Order 14203, titled “Imposing Sanctions on the International Criminal Court,” according to the State Department.

The announcement marked a sharp escalation in Washington’s confrontation with the ICC. The administration has described the tribunal as a threat to US sovereignty and urged other countries to withdraw their financial and political support.

“The Trump Administration has been clear: the International Criminal Court (ICC) is a corrupt and fatally politicized supranational court that has maliciously abused its authority and exceeded its mandate,” Rubio said. “We will not tolerate its assault on state sovereignty.”

Rubio said the designations were part of a diplomatic campaign launched by the administration last month to challenge what Washington considers the ICC’s abuse of power.

The administration’s central objection is that the court has sought to exercise authority over people from countries that have not accepted its 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.”

Rubio made clear that Tuesday’s action would not be the administration’s final move. He said the United States was pursuing a government-wide effort aimed at weakening the court’s ability to act against Americans and citizens of other countries that are not parties to its founding treaty.

“Our whole of government campaign to dismantle the threat posed by the ICC to national sovereignty will be sweeping and we expect more countries to join our campaign by ending their funding and participation in this politicized and unaccountable court,” he said.

“The ICC’s ability to target American nationals and those of other non-States Parties must end,” Rubio added.

“The Trump Administration stands ready to take additional measures, if necessary, to systematically dismantle the ICC until it is incapable of threatening American sovereignty,” Rubio said.

The ICC, based in The Hague, was established under the Rome Statute, which entered into force in 2002. It prosecutes individuals accused of genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes and the crime of aggression when national authorities are unable or unwilling to act within the limits of its jurisdiction.

IANS