THE HAGUE, June 13 (NNN-AGENCIES) — The International Criminal Court (ICC) hit back at a decision by US President Donald Trump to authorise sanctions against any official investigating American troops over alleged war crimes in Afghanistan.
Trump said earlier that the United States would block US property and assets of anyone from The Hague-based tribunal involved in probing or prosecuting US troops.
“These attacks constitute an escalation and an unacceptable attempt to interfere with the rule of law and the Court’s judicial proceedings,” the court said in a statement.
After a long-running legal process, the ICC said in March that an investigation into the Afghan war could go ahead.
The Trump administration has been livid over the possibility of a probe into atrocities in Afghanistan, America’s longest-running war.
But the ICC said the “unprecedented” sanctions “undermine our common endeavour to fight impunity and to ensure accountability for mass atrocities”.
The court added: “An attack on the ICC also represents an attack against the interests of victims of atrocity crimes, for many of whom the Court represents the last hope for justice.”
Trump issued an executive order to sanction top officials on an international court responsible for investigating war crimes after the court announced potential investigations into US misconduct during the war in Afghanistan.
His executive order threatens top officials on the International Criminal Court with economic penalties for looking into potential US war crimes.
During a press conference on Thursday, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said that top officials on the International Criminal Court could face economic sanctions, to be determined on a case-by-case basis, for investigating the actions of the US and allied forces against the will of those nations.
In addition, the officials, along with their families, will be restricted from traveling to the United States.
In PARIS, the French Foreign Ministry urged the United States to refrain from implementing measures targeting some International Criminal Court (ICC) officials investigating possible war crimes by U.S. forces in Afghanistan.
The U.S. decision “represents a serious attack on the Court and the States Parties to the Rome Statute, and beyond that, a challenge to multilateralism and judicial independence,” French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said in a statement published on the ministry’s website.
France reiterated its full support for the court, which bashed the U.S. sanctions later on Thursday. “The Court is the only permanent international criminal court with a universal vocation,” Le Drian said.
Noting the court plays a vital role in the fight against impunity for the perpetrators of the most serious crimes, Le Drian said “France will strive to ensure that the Court is able to fulfill its mission in an independent and impartial manner.”
In BERLIN, the German Foreign Ministry expressed its deep concern over U.S. sanctions against some International Criminal Court (ICC) officials investigating possible war crimes committed by U.S. forces in Afghanistan, voicing its staunch support for the court.
“We have noted with great concern the U.S. statement that gives the secretary of state the opportunity, in some cases, to introduce additional visa restrictions and additional economic sanctions against officials of the International Criminal Court,” the ministry said in a statement.
Noting Germany is one of the strongest supporters of the ICC, the ministry said: “We have full confidence in its work. It is an indispensable institution in the fight against impunity for international crimes, and it is needed today more than it has ever been.”
“We reject any attempts to put pressure on the independent court, its staff, and those who work with it,” the ministry stressed.
In GENEVA, the United Nations (UN) human rights office said that it is deeply concerned over the U.S. sanctions against some International Criminal Court (ICC) officials engaged in an investigation into possible war crimes by U.S. forces in Afghanistan.
“The independence of the ICC and its ability to operate without interference must be guaranteed so that it can decide matters without any improper influence, inducement, pressures, threats or interference, direct or indirect, from any quarter or for any reasons,” Rupert Colville, spokesperson for the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, told a briefing here.
“Victims of gross human rights violations and serious violations of international humanitarian law and their families have the right to redress and the truth,” he added. — NNN-AGENCIES
