Trump imposes sanctions on International Criminal Court

The executive order will impose financial sanctions and visas on individuals and members of their families who help in the ICC investigations into American citizens or US allies, the official said.

President Trump's movement comes after last week's Democrats senators blocked a republican-led effort to impose ICC sanctions in protest of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's arrest warrant and his former defence minister for Israel's Gaza campaign. Prime Minister Netanyah is currently visiting Washington.

The International Criminal Court (ICC) did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The court has taken measures to protect employees from possible US sanctions, paying their salaries three months in advance, while preparing for financial restrictions that could undermine the functioning of this war crimes tribunal, sources for Reuters news agency said last month.

In December, the court's president, Judge Tomoko Akane, warned that sanctions would rapidly damage the tribunal's operations in all situations and cases, and would endanger its own existence”.

This is the second time the court faces punishment measures from the United States as a result of its work. During President Trump's first administration in 2020, Washington imposed sanctions on then-prosecutor Fatou Bensouda and one of its key aides in the ICC's investigation into alleged war crimes by US forces in Afghanistan.

The International Criminal Court (ICC) attends 125 member states and it is a permanent court that can prosecute individuals for war crimes, crimes against humanity, genocide and crime and aggression against member states' territory, or their citizens. The United States, China, Russia and Israel are not member states. / VOA/