ICC Judge Files Lawsuit Against US Sanctions

DOK via WIkimedia Commons

JAKARTA - Three judges of the International Criminal Court (ICC) have filed a lawsuit against the US government regarding sanctions related to judicial decisions in investigations involving Israel and the US.

Dutch television station NOS reported that the judges, who are from Canada, Uganda, and Benin, filed their case in a federal court in Manhattan, saying the sanctions violated the law and were an attack on judicial independence.

The sanctions, introduced by Washington last year, include financial restrictions and visa bans targeting judges and other ICC personnel involved in investigations into war crimes in the occupied Palestinian territories.

Based on these steps, the affected judges are prohibited from accessing assets owned in the US and engaging in transactions involving US companies or services.

Among the decisions cited by the US authorities was the issuance of an arrest warrant for Israeli leader Benjamin Netanyahu for alleged war crimes committed in the Palestinian territories.

The United States does not recognize the ICC's jurisdiction over American citizens or citizens of allied countries who are not parties to the Rome Statute, the treaty that established the court.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio argued that the court had no authority to prosecute US citizens or citizens of its allies, and described the ICC's actions as a violation of the sovereignty and national security of the US and its partners, including Israel.

In their lawsuit, the judges argued there was no valid national emergency to justify the sanctions and declared the actions "arbitrary and unreasoned," a legal standard often used in challenges to US policies.

One judge described the sanctions as an attempt to pressure and punish members of the judiciary for carrying out their official duties.

"Attacking international judges for carrying out their judicial duties is an unprecedented attack on judicial independence and the rule of law," the lawyer representing one of the judges said in a statement.