US sanctions on the ICC: EU pledges the court its full support
Brussels calls Washington's tougher sanctions on the International Criminal Court in The Hague "deeply regrettable". Several European states have issued joint criticism.
Archive image · Photo: Ymblanter / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped and resized)
The United States has tightened its sanctions against the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague – shortly after former ICC judge Navi Pillay was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced a ban on all dealings with the court, which he called a "rogue court". According to ZDFheute, the court's assets are also being frozen. President Donald Trump would never allow Americans to be prosecuted by the court, Rubio said.
The European Commission pledged the court the European Union's full support. Brussels would take "all necessary measures" to enable the court to continue its work, it said, calling Washington's decision "deeply regrettable". The court itself described the move as an attack on the rule of law and the foundations of the international legal order.
Germany, Denmark, France, Italy, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom, together with Canada and Japan, criticised the US plans in a joint statement. German Justice Minister Stefanie Hubig (SPD) spoke of a "dark day for international law". In August, US sanctions against the court's president had already drawn international criticism; several of its members had also been sanctioned following the court's investigation into Israel.