European Union backs ICC after US sanctions on court judges

EU affirms its unwavering enactment for the ICC, denouncing US sanctions arsenic a menace to judicial independency and justice.

The European Union “deeply regrets” the United States sanctions placed connected 4 judges astatine the International Criminal Court (ICC), European Commission main Ursula von der Leyen has said.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio connected Thursday announced sanctions connected 4 judges whom the US accuses of taking “illegitimate and baseless actions” against the US and its allies.

Responding to the announcement connected Friday, von der Leyen said the Hague-based tribunal had the “full support” of the EU.

“The ICC holds perpetrators of the world’s gravest crimes to relationship & gives victims a voice,” von der Leyen said connected X connected Friday. “It indispensable beryllium escaped to enactment without pressure.”

United Nations Human Rights Chief Volker Turk said helium was “profoundly disturbed” by the US decision.

“Attacks against judges for show of their judicial functions, astatine nationalist oregon planetary levels, tally straight antagonistic to respect for the regularisation of instrumentality and the adjacent extortion of the instrumentality – values for which the US has agelong stood,” Turk said.

“Such attacks are profoundly corrosive of bully governance and the owed medication of justice,” helium added, calling for the sanctions to beryllium withdrawn.

Antonio Costa, president of the European Council, which represents nationalist governments of the 27 EU subordinate states, besides called the tribunal “a cornerstone of planetary justice” and said its independency and integrity indispensable beryllium protected.

The Commission afloat supports the @IntlCrimCourt & its officials.

The ICC holds perpetrators of the world’s gravest crimes to relationship & gives victims a voice.

It indispensable beryllium escaped to enactment without pressure.

We volition ever basal for planetary justness & the respect of planetary law.

— Ursula von der Leyen (@vonderleyen) June 6, 2025

The US State Department said the sanctions were issued aft the tribunal made decisions to contented an apprehension warrant for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and a abstracted determination successful 2020 to unfastened an probe into alleged warfare crimes by US troops successful Afghanistan.

The 4 sanctioned judges see Solomy Balungi Bossa of Uganda, Luz del Carmen Ibanez Carranza of Peru, Reine Alapini-Gansou of Benin and Beti Hohler of Slovenia.

EU subordinate Slovenia said it “rejects unit connected judicial institutions” and urged the EU to usage its blocking statute.

“Due to the inclusion of a national of an EU subordinate authorities connected the sanctions list, Slovenia volition suggest the contiguous activation of the blocking act,” Slovenia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said successful a station connected X.

The mechanics lets the EU prohibition European companies from complying with US sanctions that Brussels deems unlawful. The powerfulness has been utilized successful the past to forestall Washington from banning European commercialized with Cuba and Iran.

Slovenia regrets the announced sanctions by the US🇺🇸 authorities against 4 judges of the @IntlCrimCourt , including a justice from #Slovenia. SI🇸🇮 rejects unit connected judicial institutions and power connected judicial operations, and courts indispensable enactment successful the interests of instrumentality and justice.… pic.twitter.com/xhwBj8XeMz

— MFEA Slovenia (@MZEZ_RS) June 5, 2025

The US sanctions mean the judges are added to a database of specially designated sanctioned individuals. Any US assets they person volition beryllium blocked and they are enactment connected an automated screening work utilized not lone by US banks but by galore banks worldwide, making it precise hard for sanctioned radical to clasp oregon unfastened slope accounts oregon transportation money.

This is not the archetypal clip the US has issued restrictions against an ICC authoritative since Trump returned to bureau for a 2nd word connected January 20.

Shortly aft taking office, Trump issued a wide enforcement bid threatening anyone who participates successful ICC investigations with sanctions. Critics warned that specified sweeping connection could pervert the people of justice, for example, by dissuading witnesses from coming guardant with evidence.

But Trump argued that the 2024 apprehension warrants for Netanyahu and erstwhile Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant necessitated specified measures.

He besides claimed that the US and Israel were “thriving democracies” that “strictly adhere to the laws of war” and that the ICC’s investigations threatened subject members with “harassment, maltreatment and imaginable arrest”.

Source:

Al Jazeera and quality agencies