WASHINGTON (US) – President Donald Trump on Thursday authorised economic and travel sanctions against employees of the International Criminal Court (ICC) involved in a probe into whether US troops committed war crimes in Afghanistan.
Trump administration officials said the Hague-based tribunal threatens to infringe on US national sovereignty and accused Russia of manipulating it to serve Moscow’s ends.
“We cannot, we will not stand by as our people are threatened by a kangaroo court,” said Secretary of State Mike Pompeo while announcing the move.
“I have a message to many close allies in the world. Your people could be next, especially those from NATO countries who fight terrorism in Afghanistan right alongside us,” he added.
The ICC, in a statement, said Washington’s move was the “latest in a series of unprecedented attacks on the court.”
“These attacks constitute an escalation and an unacceptable attempt to interfere with the rule of law and the court’s judicial proceedings,” it said in the statement.
Foreign Minister Stef Blok of the Netherlands, a member of the Western security alliance, tweeted he was “very disturbed” by the US stance, saying his nation supported the ICC. He said it was “crucial in the fight against impunity.”
The sanctions include freezing the US assets of those who help the ICC conduct a probe or prosecute American citizens without US consent, as well as preventing them and their families from visiting the country.
Neither Pompeo nor top officials such as Defense Secretary Mark Esper, National Security Adviser Robert O’Brien and Attorney General William Barr took questions from reporters.
ICC prosecutor Fatou Bensouda wants to probe possible crimes committed between 2003 and 2014, which include alleged mass killings of civilians by the Taliban, as well as the alleged torture of prisoners by Afghan authorities and, to a lesser extent, by American forces and the CIA. The ICC investigation was given the nod in March.
The probe was initiated after a preliminary examination in 2017 found reasonable grounds to believe war crimes were committed in Afghanistan and that the court has jurisdiction.
Rights activists decried President Trump’s move. Andrea Prasow, the Washington director for Human Rights Watch, said the action “demonstrates contempt for the global rule of law” and shows a “blatant attempt at obstruction.”
‘LOW POINT’
Set up in 2002 by the international community to prosecute war crimes, genocide and crimes against humanity, ICC has jurisdiction only if a member state is unable or unwilling to prosecute atrocities itself. The United States has never been a member of the court.
The sanctions come as the latest US action in which Trump is targeting an international body. Late last month, Trump said he would end the US relationship with the World Health Organization.
Afghanistan has membership in the ICC, though Kabul has made its stand clear that any war crimes should be prosecuted locally.
Barr said the Justice Department “has received substantial credible information that raises serious concerns about a long history of financial corruption and malfeasance” in the ICC prosecutor’s office. However, he did not provide details.
He also blamed Russia for manipulating the court though he did not explain how.
John Bellinger, the State Department’s former top lawyer under Republican former President George W. Bush, said the two sides could have avoided the conflict but chose not to.
“It’s unfortunate that the long-running US dispute with the ICC has reached this new low point. … It’s not surprising that the Trump administration has reacted forcefully with threatened sanctions, especially in an election year,” he said.
A year ago, the Trump administration had imposed travel restrictions and other curbs against ICC employees.
(Photos syndicated via Reuters)
This story has been edited by BH staff and is published from a syndicated field
