JERUSALEM (dpa-AFX) - The U.S. government has imposed sanctions on four judges at the International Criminal Court, or ICC, over its 'illegitimate actions targeting the United States and Israel.'
In an unprecedented action, Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced that his department is imposing Sanctions on the International Criminal Court.
Rubio said he is designating judges Solomy Balungi Bossa of Uganda, Luz del Carmen Ibáñez Carranza of Peru, Reine Adelaide Sophie Alapini Gansou of Benin, and Beti Hohler of Slovenia, who 'directly engaged in efforts by the ICC to investigate, arrest, detain, or prosecute nationals of the United States or Israel, without consent' from those governments.
Neither the United States nor Israel is party to the Rome Statute, which is the foundational treaty that established the ICC, an international court with jurisdiction over the most serious crimes of international concern such as genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes, and the crime of aggression.
'As ICC judges, these four individuals have actively engaged in the ICC's illegitimate and baseless actions targeting America or our close ally, Israel. The ICC is politicized and falsely claims unfettered discretion to investigate, charge, and prosecute nationals of the United States and our allies. This dangerous assertion and abuse of power infringes upon the sovereignty and national security of the United States and our allies, including Israel,' Rubio said in a statement.
The State Department said the sanctions reflect the seriousness of the threat that the U.S. face from the ICC's 'politicization and abuse of power.'
It said the designations are in response to the judges authorizing the ICC's investigation of war crimes against U.S. troops in Afghanistan, and the issuance of arrest warrants targeting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant.
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