President Trump signed an executive order on Thursday imposing sanctions on the International Criminal Court and pledging “tangible and significant consequences” for those responsible for investigations that threatened the national security of the United States and its allies, including Israel.
Here’s an explanation of the court’s mission and why the Trump administration focused its latest executive action on the tribunal.
What is the International Criminal Court?
The International Criminal Court is the world’s highest criminal court, and is located in The Hague, a global center of international law.
The court was set up under a 1998 treaty to prosecute individuals for war crimes, genocide, crimes against humanity and the crime of aggression — defined by the court as “the use of armed force by a state against the sovereignty, integrity or independence of another state.” Countries join the court by adopting the treaty, which is known as the Rome Statute.
Before the court’s creation, the U.N. Security Council established several ad hoc tribunals to prosecute atrocities.
The I.C.C. has 125 members, although a number of powerful nations are not members and do not recognize the authority of the court, including China, India, Russia, the United States and Israel. The U.S. has abstained from membership as a way to prevent the tribunal from being used to prosecute Americans and has argued it would violate the Constitution.
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