ICC condemns sanctions by Trump administration and pledges to continue its work

[February 07, 2025]  By MOLLY QUELL

THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — The International Criminal Court on Friday called on its member states to stand up against sanctions imposed by President Donald Trump, saying the move was an attempt to “harm its independent and impartial judicial work.”

The White House issued the executive order on Thursday in response to what it called “illegitimate and baseless actions targeting America and our close ally Israel." It was referring to the arrest warrant the ICC issued last year for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over alleged war crimes in Gaza.

The Hague-based court said it “condemns” the move. “The Court stands firmly by its personnel and pledges to continue providing justice and hope to millions of innocent victims of atrocities across the world,” the court said in a statement.

“We call on our 125 States Parties, civil society and all nations of the world to stand united for justice and fundamental human rights,” it said.

The order said the U.S. will impose “tangible and significant consequences” on those responsible for the ICC’s “transgressions.” Actions may include blocking property and assets and not allowing ICC officials, employees and relatives to enter the United States.

The Treasury and State Department will determine which people and organizations will be sanctioned.

Human rights groups have criticized the decision. “US sanctions against ICC officials would be a gift to those around the globe responsible for mass atrocities. Sanctions are for human rights violators, not those working to hold rights abusers to account," Liz Evenson, international justice director at Human Rights Watch, said in a statement.

"Trump’s executive order borrows a page out of Russia’s playbook, which has sought to obstruct the court’s work through arrest warrants against its judges and prosecutor,” Evenson said.

A view of the International Criminal Court in The Hague, Netherlands, June 26, 2024. (AP Photo/Peter Dejong, File)

Court officials had been preparing for sanctions for months. In January, the court gave staff a three-month advance on their salaries, two court insiders told The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to media.

At least two senior staff members at the court have resigned since Trump was elected in an effort to avoid sanctions.

The Netherlands, which hosts the court, has also condemned Trump’s order. “The Netherlands regrets the executive order imposing sanctions on the ICC. The court’s work is essential in the fight against impunity,” the country’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Caspar Veldkamp, said in a statement.

People in the Dutch government say the Netherlands has been trying to assist the court in shielding itself from the fallout.

Groups who work with the court have also expressed concern over the scope of the sanctions.

“We just have put every project on hold, because we don’t know what the sanctions will mean,” the head of one advocacy group told the AP on the condition of anonymity. Another said they were moving money out of U.S.-based bank accounts as a precaution.

It is the second time Trump has gone after the court. During his previous term in office, he imposed sanctions on former prosecutor Fatou Bensouda and one of her deputies over her investigation into crimes committed in Afghanistan. President Joe Biden lifted the sanctions when he took office in 2021.

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