Trump's sanctions have paralyzed the work of the International Criminal Court

The sanctions imposed by US President Donald Trump against International Criminal Court (ICC) Prosecutor Karim Khan are causing a crisis within the institution. The tribunal's main tasks are currently impossible to perform.

It is reported by UNN with reference to Euronews.

Details

The sanctions imposed by the administration of US President Donald Trump on the International Criminal Court (ICC), and directly against the chief prosecutor of the body, Karim Khan, have practically made it impossible for the tribunal to perform its basic tasks.

According to employees, the sanctions have made it extremely difficult for the tribunal to perform its basic tasks, not to mention seeking justice for victims of war crimes.

Practical consequences that are already obvious as of now.

Karim Khan lost access to his email after Microsoft deleted his address. Bank accounts in the UK have been frozen. US ICC employees have been warned that they risk arrest if they return to the US.

Reference

The sanctions imposed by the Trump administration against the ICC in February are seen as a response to the ICC's November 2024 warrants for the arrest of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant.

In his decree, Trump singled out Khan as a person subject to sanctions, banning him from entering the United States along with other non-US citizen employees.

Trump's sanctions also threaten any person, institution or company with fines and imprisonment if they provide Khan with "financial, material or technological support"

It is important to add that the investigation is now on hold due to Khan's own scandal - the chief ICC prosecutor is accused of sexual harassment of an assistant. The incident is being investigated, and Khan's lawyers deny the allegations.

It should also be noted that the ICC investigated atrocities in Sudan and issued an arrest warrant for former Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir on charges including genocide. The investigation was suspended after the case prosecutor, Eric Iverson, filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration. Iverson's lawyer, Alison Miller, said her client "cannot perform what I would call basic advocacy functions."

Three lawsuits against the Trump administration have been filed by US court staff and consultants, claiming that the sanctions violate their freedom of expression.

Addition

This is not the first confrontation between Trump and the International Criminal Court. In 2020, his first Trump administration already imposed sanctions against the then ICC Prosecutor Fatou Bensouda. The reason was the latter's role in investigating alleged crimes committed by US troops in Afghanistan. The measures were lifted by Joe Biden a few months later.

Recall

Israel has appealed to the ICC to revoke the arrest warrants for Netanyahu and Gallant and suspend the investigation of war crimes in the Palestinian territories. Israel disputes the court's jurisdiction.

The Hungarian Parliament voted to withdraw the country from the ICC, citing the court's politicization.

International Criminal Court Prosecutor Karim Khan stated that Russian President vladimir putin "will see the courtroom from the inside".

In 2024, russian president putin, despite the ICC warrant, visited  Turkmenistan.