EU supports International Criminal Court after US sanctions
- Author:
- Svitlana Kravchenko
- Date:
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and European Council President António Costa said they “stand firmly” on the side of the International Criminal Court (ICC), its President Tomoko Akane, and the officials against whom the United States imposed sanctions on August 19.
Officials published a corresponding statement in Kh.
According to von der Leyen, ICC helps provide justice for victims of "the worldʼs most heinous crimes," so judges and officials must be able to act independently and without external pressure.
At the same time, ICC called the US sanctions imposed a "blatant attack" on the independence of the judiciary and emphasized: "When representatives of the judiciary are threatened for applying the law, the international legal order itself is under threat."
The court also noted that pressure on its employees could affect the ability of victims of international crimes to seek justice.
"The court will not back down and firmly supports its staff and the victims of unspeakable crimes," ICC said, adding that it will continue to work independently and impartially, in accordance with the Rome Statute.
- The US Secretary of State Marco Rubio explained the new sanctions against ICC by saying that the court had allegedly abused its powers. This is because the court can prosecute citizens of countries that are not members of the body, such as Israel and the United States.
- Before that, Rubio promised to completely eliminate the International Criminal Court, which, in particular, issued arrest warrants for Putin and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
- The Trump administrationʼs dissatisfaction with the ICCʼs work dates back to his first term as president, when the court attempted to investigate alleged war crimes by US troops in Afghanistan. The second Trump administration imposed sanctions on ICC officials in February 2025 for attempting to investigate US and Israeli actions.
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