ICC DEPLORES US MOVE
The ICC on Wednesday said it “deplores” the latest move by Washington, which took the number of sanctioned staff members to 13, including nine out of eighteen judges, both deputy prosecutors, the former prosecutor and a trial attorney.
“These sanctions are a flagrant attack against the independence of an impartial judicial institution,” it said.
“When judicial actors are threatened for applying the law, it is the international legal order itself that is placed at risk. Threats and coercive measures also impact the ability of victims to seek justice, as they turn to the court when all other avenues have been exhausted,” it said.
At least five of the court’s 125 member states have announced plans to withdraw in recent months amid escalated US pressure.
Dutch Foreign Minister Tom Berendsen said on X that the Netherlands, which hosts the court, opposed the latest US sanctions and he invited Akane to “discuss our continued support”.
Akane warned in December that US sanctions could “rapidly undermine the court’s operations in all situations and cases and jeopardise its very existence”.
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