UINTED NATONS experts expressed “grave concern” on Monday over an executive order signed by U.S. President Donald Trump that sanctions officials of the International Criminal Court (ICC).
According to Anadolu Ajansi, the experts condemned the move, describing it as an attack on global rule of law and a direct challenge to the international criminal justice system.
In a statement, the experts stated that the sanctions imposed by the U.S. would undermine the ICC’s work in investigating war crimes and crimes against humanity worldwide, particularly those committed against women and children.
They emphasised that the move weakens the court’s ability to hold perpetrators accountable and tarnishes the international legal framework.
“The financial restrictions will undermine the ICC and its investigations into war crimes and crimes against humanity, including those against vulnerable populations such as women and children,” the experts said.
“By sanctioning the ICC, the U.S. President is gravely undermining the ‘never again’ legacy of Nuremberg, which has been a cornerstone of international criminal law since 1945,” they added, referring to the post-World War II trials of Nazi war criminals.
The statement further criticised the sanctions for empowering war criminals, noting that the U.S. was effectively punishing the ICC and denying justice and reparations to victims across the globe.
“This law makes a mockery of the decades-long quest to place law above force and atrocity,” the experts asserted.
The experts also pointed out that justice must be applied equally to all, without exception, and that upholding international law is a shared responsibility that strengthens global security, including that of the United States.
They argued that imposing sanctions on court officials carrying out their professional duties represents a “flagrant violation of human rights” and undermines judicial independence and the rule of law.
The experts further noted that the U.S. sanctions could constitute violations of the administration of justice under Article 70 of the Rome Statute, the legal foundation of the ICC.
Trump signed the executive order last week, accusing the ICC of taking “illegitimate and baseless actions” targeting the U.S. and its close ally, Israel.
The sanctions follow arrest warrants issued by the ICC in November last year for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defence Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in the Gaza Strip. – February 11, 2025
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