(CLO) President Donald Trump on Thursday (February 7) approved economic and travel sanctions targeting those working on International Criminal Court (ICC) investigations of US citizens or US allies such as Israel.
The move coincides with a visit to Washington by Israeli Prime Minister Benajmin Netanyahu, who along with Israel's former defense minister and a leader of the Palestinian militant group Hamas are wanted by the International Criminal Court over the war in the Gaza Strip.
The headquarters of the International Criminal Court. Photo: CC/Vysotsky
The names of those sanctioned by the US are not yet known. During his first term, Mr Trump imposed sanctions on then-prosecutor Fatou Bensouda and one of her top aides on the ICC investigation into alleged war crimes by the US military in Afghanistan.
The sanctions include freezing any US assets of the designated individuals and banning them and their families from entering the US.
The 125-member International Criminal Court is a permanent tribunal that can prosecute individuals for war crimes, crimes against humanity, genocide, and crimes of aggression against the territory of member states or their nationals. The United States, China, Russia, and Israel are not members.
Mr Trump signed the executive order after Democrats last week blocked an effort to pass legislation establishing a sanctions regime targeting the ICC in the Republican-controlled US Senate.
In December, ICC President Judge Tomoko Akane warned that sanctions would “rapidly undermine the functioning of the Court in all situations and circumstances, and jeopardize the very existence of the Court”.
Russia has also targeted the court. In 2023, the ICC issued an arrest warrant for President Vladimir Putin. Russia has banned ICC chief prosecutor Karim Khan from entering the country and placed him and two ICC judges on its wanted list.
Bui Huy (according to ICC, WH, CNA)
Source: https://www.congluan.vn/ong-donald-trump-trung-phat-toa-an-hinh-su-quoc-te-vi-truy-na-quan-chuc-israel-post333377.html
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