US, Oct 11. (PA Media/dpa/GNA) – Six members of the Group of Seven leading industrialized nations, have reaffirmed their “continued and unwavering support” for the International Criminal Court (ICC), after fellow G7 member the United States, announced sanctions on the tribunal.
In a joint statement, the remaining G7 nations – the UK, Canada, France, Germany, Italy and Japan, as well as Denmark and the Netherlands, said they “regret and strongly disagree with” the sanctions.
They added that while the ICC had taken steps to ensure it could continue to operate, the sanctions would “have a significant impact on the court’s work.”
They paid tribute to the court’s staff and their families, saying they “work every day to bring those accused of the most serious international crimes to justice and to support their victims.”
The statement came after US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, announced sweeping sanctions against The Hague-based court, describing it as a “rogue court.”
It also appeared to be a rebuke to Rubio, who had demanded that Washington’s allies “rein in” the court, warning that otherwise the US would continue its campaign to dismantle the ICC.
The Trump administration has been fiercely critical of the ICC over its investigation into the actions of US troops in Afghanistan and its decision to issue an arrest warrant for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Neither the US nor Israel is a member of the ICC, which was established in 2002 to prosecute war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide. Both countries reject the court’s jurisdiction over their citizens.
The US announcement coincided with the awarding of the Nobel Peace Prize to Navi Pillay, a former ICC judge.
Rubio said the sanctions would “ban transactions” with the ICC, “cutting off their resources and crippling its ability to operate.”
In a statement, the court described the sanctions as “an attempt to obstruct the course of justice” and “an assault on the rule of law and on the very foundations of the international legal order.”
Warning that the court “cannot stand alone,” it added: “Its fate now rests also in the hands of the states that created it.”
The ICC called on member states to take concrete steps to ensure it had the resources needed to continue its work.
The International Federation for Human Rights also criticized the sanctions.
Its president, Alexis Deswaef, said the ICC’s 125 member states “cannot establish a court to hold the powerful accountable and then stand by while it is being dismantled.” “They must act collectively to protect the court, civil society, and the victims and survivors who depend on them,” he added.
GNA