'Necessary to protect our sovereignty': US sanctions four ICC judges for rulings on US and Israel; assets frozen

The US would impose new sanctions targeting four judges from the International Criminal Court (ICC), secretary of state Marco Rubio announced in response to investigations into the military actions and arrest warrants issued against Israeli leaders."The United States will take whatever actions we deem necessary to protect our sovereignty, that of Israel and any other US ally from illegitimate actions by the ICC," Rubio said in his statement.He said that the sanctions were a direct response to what he called illegitimate actions by the ICC against both the US and its ally Israel. The four judges named are Solomy Balungi Bossa of Uganda, Luz del Carmen Ibáñez Carranza of Peru, Reine Adelaide Sophie Alapini Gansou of Benin, and Beti Hohler of Slovenia.According to the state department, Judges Bossa and Ibáñez Carranza authorised the ICC’s investigation into US personnel in Afghanistan. Although the investigation was allowed to proceed at the time, it was later dropped. Khan, after taking office in 2021, announced he would not pursue allegations involving US military or CIA personnel.Judges Alapini Gansou and Hohler, meanwhile, were part of the panel that authorised arrest warrants for Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former defense minister Yoav Gallant over actions taken during the war in Gaza.

Under the sanctions, all US-based assets belonging to the four judges must be frozen and reported to the treasury department. Americans are also prohibited from conducting business with them. Previous sanctions against ICC officials led to complications in banking and international travel, and some American staff at the court have since resigned.This move follows earlier sanctions imposed in February, when the US penalised ICC chief prosecutor Karim Khan for pursuing charges related to Israel’s military campaign in Gaza.

The sanctions reportedly disrupted the work of Khan’s team.The US and Israel are not members of the ICC and have long opposed the court’s efforts to investigate their officials or military personnel. During US President Donald Trump's first presidency, former secretary of state Mike Pompeo imposed similar sanctions when the court moved to investigate alleged war crimes by US troops in Afghanistan.The ICC strongly condemned the new sanctions, calling them "a clear attempt to undermine" an institution that seeks to provide justice to victims of severe crimes.

In a statement, the court said such measures "only emboldens those who believe they can act with impunity."Established in 1998, the ICC is the world’s top criminal court, tasked with prosecuting war crimes, genocide, crimes against humanity, and aggression. The court depends on member states to enforce its rulings, as it has no power to carry them out on its own.The Rome statute, the treaty that created the ICC, has been ratified by 125 countries. However, some of the world’s most powerful nations, including the US, China, Russia, India, and Israel, are not parties to the treaty and do not recognize the court’s authority."I call on the countries that still support the ICC, many of whose freedom was purchased at the price of great American sacrifices, to fight this disgraceful attack on our nation and Israel," he added.