The ICC reveals it is “undeterred” by Washington’s sanctions threat

Image Representation: ICC

The International Criminal Court (ICC) released a statement that in spite of the threat of U.S. sanctions from John Bolton, the court would “continue to do its work undeterred”. The threat of sanctions proposed by the U.S. National Security Adviser, was in light of the investigations planned by a tribunal of the ICC, to investigate the activities of the United States in Afghanistan.

The international court based in Hague said in the statement that they were independent and impartial and had the backing of 123 nations. The statement highlighted that as a court of law it would continue to do its work pursuant to those principles and the “overarching idea of the rule of law”.

Fatou Bensouda, an ICC prosecutor revealed that there was a reasonable basis to believe that crimes against humanity and other war crimes were being carried out in Afghanistan. The intent was expressed to carry out investigations into the matter and all the parties involved in the conflict, including the United States military and the Central Intelligence Agency.

This announcement, however, did not receive a warm response in the United States. In recent statements, Bolton expressed his and the government’s disregard for the action the ICC intended to take and threatened to ban ICC judges from entering the United States and sanctioning the finances and funds the United States had been providing to the international court.

The United States never ratified the Rome Statute, which is the instrument that brought the ICC into existence during the term of George W. Bush. Instead, a separate act, called the American Services-Members’ Protection Act, was adopted. This act infamously gained the nickname of the “Hague Invasion Act”, as it authorized the U.S. to legally free any U.S. citizens or personnel held by the court.

*Rayan Bhattacharya is a Research Intern at The Kootneeti