The United States imposed sanctions on Thursday against four judges of the International Criminal Court (ICC) in connection with the “politicisation and abuse of power” by that organisation, according to a statement by the US State Department.
The sanctions list includes judges Solomy Balungi Bossa of Uganda and Luz del Carmen Ibáñez Carranza of Peru, Reine Adelaide Sophie Alapini-Gansou of Benin and Beti Hohler of Slovenia.
“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 statement said.
The State Department statement said that “the ICC has demonstrated a politicised approach and has unlawfully assumed jurisdiction over US citizens and (their) allies.”
The ICC strongly condemned this move, calling it an attempt to undermine the independence of an international judicial institution that offers hope and justice to millions of victims of “unbelievable atrocities.”
In 2020, Judges Bossa and Carranza participated in the Appeals Chamber’s decision to open an official investigation into alleged war crimes committed by US forces in Afghanistan.
According to the document, restrictions will be imposed on any attempts by the ICC to facilitate “the investigation, arrest, detention or prosecution of any person under the protection of the United States and its allies.” The sanctions include visa denials and a ban on business contacts with those on the blacklist.
Previous sanctions on ICC
The US has already imposed sanctions on the chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court, Karim Khan, for his role in issuing arrest warrants for Netanyahu and Gallant. These sanctions have resulted in Khan losing access to his email and his bank accounts being frozen.
In May 2024, the US authorities considered the ICC’s plans to arrest Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu outrageous. Former US President Joe Biden also stressed that the United States “will always stand with Israel against threats to its security.”
