|
ICC prosecutor Karim Khan said in a statement issued after more
than seven months of war in Gaza that he had reasonable grounds
to believe the five men "bear criminal responsibility" for
alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity.
U.S. President Joe Biden called the legal step "outrageous",
while Secretary of State Antony Blinken said it could jeopardize
negotiations on a hostage deal and ceasefire.
Some U.S. lawmakers called for the United States to impose
sanctions on the court. In 2020, the United States imposed
sanctions an ICC prosecutor.
"In general, the situation is more than curious in terms of the
U.S. attitude and willingness to use sanctions methods even
against the ICC," Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov told
reporters.
In March last year, the ICC issued warrants for the arrest of
President Vladimir Putin on war crimes charges.
Russia says the warrant against Putin is a meaningless attempt
by the West to soil Russia's reputation and denies war crimes in
Ukraine. Ukraine says Russia committed war crimes. Russia says
the West has ignored Ukraine's crimes, a charge denied by Kyiv.
Biden said last year that the ICC decision to issue an arrest
warrant for Putin was justified. The United States has shared
details of alleged Russian war crimes in Ukraine with the ICC.
Russia is not a party to the Rome Statute, which established the
ICC, so Moscow does not recognize the court's jurisdiction.
"We are not parties to the relevant statute, therefore, we do
not recognize the jurisdiction of the court," Peskov said.
(Reporting by Dmitry Antonov; editing by Guy Faulconbridge)
[© 2024 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.]
Copyright 2022 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may
not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Thompson Reuters is solely responsible for this content.
|
|
