The governing body of the International Criminal Court (ICC) stated this Thursday (22) that it regrets any attempt to undermine the independence of the court. The statement comes after the United States approved sanctions on the ICC due to the arrest warrants issued against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
The US House of Representatives voted for the sanctions this month after the ICC issued arrest warrants for Benjamin Netanyahu and his former defense minister, Yoav Gallant, over allegations of war crimes and crimes against humanity during the attacks in Gaza. Israel rejects the accusations.
On his first day in office this week, US President Donald Trump signed an executive order that reinstated an earlier order that could serve as the legal basis for future sanctions against the ICC. No specific sanctions have been announced yet.
In a statement, the ICC’s governing body said sanctions against the court and its staff – and anyone assisting them – could severely hamper ongoing investigations.
The body added that it “regrets any attempt to undermine the independence, integrity and impartiality of the court.”
The ICC is a permanent court that can prosecute individuals for war crimes, crimes against humanity, genocide and the crime of aggression against the territory of member states or their citizens.
The court said its decision to seek warrants against Israeli authorities was in line with its approach, based on an assessment by the prosecutor that there was sufficient evidence to proceed, and the view that seeking arrest warrants immediately could prevent ongoing crimes.
This content was originally published in “Attempt to undermine independence”, says ICC about US sanctions on the CNN Brasil website.
Source: CNN Brasil
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