ICC blasts US sanctions on its judges and prosecutors as 'flagrant attack'

Marco Rubio calls International Criminal Court 'national security threat' and 'instrument for lawfare'

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio criticised the ICC’s 'politicisation, abuse of power [and] disregard for our national sovereignty'. Bloomberg

The International Criminal Court on Wednesday denounced new US sanctions on its officials, calling them a "flagrant attack" on its independence.

The measures broaden Washington's confrontational strategy to thwart the court's war crimes cases involving Israel.

Those named in the sanctions are judges Kimberly Prost of Canada and Nicolas Yann Guillou of France, along with deputy prosecutors Nazhat Shameem Khan of Fiji and Mame Mandiaye Niang of Senegal.

“The United States has been clear and steadfast in our opposition to the ICC’s politicisation, abuse of power, disregard for our national sovereignty, and illegitimate judicial overreach,” US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in a statement.

“The court is a national security threat that has been an instrument for lawfare against the United States and our close ally Israel.”

He added that those named in the sanctions directly engaged in efforts by the ICC “to investigate, arrest, detain, or prosecute nationals of the United States or Israel, without the consent of either nation”.

"These sanctions are a flagrant attack against the independence of an impartial judicial institution," the court said in a statement.

The ICC said it stood "firmly behind its personnel and victims of unimaginable atrocities".

With the imposition of the sanctions, the financial assets and property of those named will be frozen.

The US has long rejected the ICC’s jurisdiction over its citizens and Israeli officials. US President Donald Trump on Friday welcomed Russian President Vladimir Putin to Alaska even though Mr Putin faces an ICC arrest warrant, which has stopped him from travelling more widely since he ordered the invasion of Ukraine.

The new measures follow sanctions imposed in June against four judges over their efforts to investigate or arrest American and Israeli citizens.

Mr Rubio denounced the Hague-based tribunal as a “bankrupt institution” and welcomed sanctions previously imposed on its top prosecutors for pursuing cases against Israeli leaders.

He said Ms Prost is being designated for ruling to authorise the ICC’s investigation into US personnel in Afghanistan.

Mr Guillou, a veteran jurist who worked for several years in the US assisting the Justice Department with judicial co-operation during Barack Obama's presidency, is being designated for ruling to authorise the ICC’s issuance of arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former minister of defence Yoav Gallant.

Deputy prosecutors Khan and Niang are being designated for continuing to support “illegitimate” ICC actions against Israel, including upholding the court's arrest warrants for Mr Netanyahu and Mr Gallant since they assumed leadership of the ICC’s Office of the Prosecutor.

The ICC condemned the announcement, saying it “stands firmly behind its personnel”.

“These sanctions are a flagrant attack against the independence of an impartial judicial institution which operates under the mandate from 125 States Parties from all regions,” the ICC said.

“They constitute also an affront against the court’s States Parties, the rules-based international order and, above all, millions of innocent victims across the world.”

Mr Netanyahu, however, welcomed the decision.