Trump administration imposes sanctions on four ICC judges

WASHINGTON/THE HAGUE: President Donald Trump’s administration on Thursday imposed sanctions on four judges at the International Criminal Court (ICC), an unprecedented retaliation over the war tribunal’s cases regarding alleged war crimes by US troops in Afghanistan and over the court’s issuance of an arrest warrant for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Washington designated Solomy Balungi Bossa of Uganda, Luz del Carmen Ibanez Carranza of Peru, Reine Adelaide Sophie Alapini Gansou of Benin, and Beti Hohler of Slovenia, according to a statement from US Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

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“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 politicised and falsely claims unfettered discretion to investigate, charge, and prosecute nationals of the United States and our allies,” Rubio said.

The ICC slammed the move, saying it was an attempt to undermine the independence of an international judicial institution that provides hope and justice to millions of victims of “unimaginable atrocities.”

Both judges Bossa and Carranza have been on the ICC bench since 2018. In 2020 they were involved in an appeals chamber decision that allowed the ICC prosecutor to open a formal investigation into alleged war crimes by American troops in Afghanistan.

ICC judges also issued arrest warrants for Netanyahu, former Israeli defense chief Yoav Gallant and Hamas leader Ibrahim Al-Masri last November for alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity during the Gaza conflict. Alapini Gansou and Hohler ruled to authorise the arrest warrant against Netanyahu and Gallant, Rubio said.

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The move deepens the administration’s animosity toward the court. During the first Trump administration in 2020, Washington imposed sanctions on then-prosecutor Fatou Bensouda and one of her top aides over the court’s work on Afghanistan.

Sanctions severely hamper individuals’ abilities to carry out even routine financial transactions as any banks with ties to the United States, or that conduct transactions in dollars, are expected to have to comply with the restrictions.

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But the Treasury Department also issued general licenses, including one allowing the wind-down of transactions involving those targeted on Thursday until July 8, so long as any payment to them is made to a blocked, interest-bearing account located in the US.