International The Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague faces a serious crisis following US sanctions against its prosecutorThe actor. Frozen accounts, threat of arrests and NGO boycotts make it hard to prosecute war crimes.
Donald Trump's administration imposed sanctions on the Chief Prosecutor of the ICC, Karim Khan, in February in consequence to an arrest warrant for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and erstwhile defence Minister Yoav Gallant. As the PBS reveals, this decision paralyzed the work of the tribunal, limiting its ability to conduct investigations into war crimes and genocide.
How did the sanctions affect the work of the ICC?
- Freezing of bank accounts Prosecutor Khan has lost access to financial resources.
- Communication block – His service email was blocked.
- Risk of arrests – American ICC staff received a advice to avoid travel to the US.
- Boycott of NGOs – any NGOs have broken up their cooperation and their leaders ignore correspondence with the tribunal.
Liz Evenson of Human Rights Watch stresses: "Sanctions prevent victims from accessing justice".
ICC vs. USA and Israel – Background of the dispute
In November the ICC ruled that there were grounds to believe that Israeli leaders could commit themselves war crimes by deliberately reducing humanitarian aid and attacks on civilians in the Gaza Strip. Israel rejects these allegations and the US accuses the tribunal of "legally attacking the United States and their allies".
President of the ICC, justice Tomoko Akane, called sanctions "a major attack on the State Parties, global order and millions of victims".
Will the ICC stay independent?
US sanctions match those applied to Russian oligarchs. Can the ICC handle the pressure? For now, his spokespersons refuse to comment, but the situation may affect the future of global justice.
Will the ICC last this pressure? 1 thing is certain – the fight for global justice has become even more difficult.
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US sanctions paralyze the global Criminal Court – Victims Without Justice
