Marco Rubio and the Trump administration have enacted sanctions against four judges of the International Criminal Court (ICC).
The sanctions target their involvement in the tribunal’s investigation into alleged war crimes committed by Israel during the recent conflict with Hamas in Gaza and the West Bank.
Rubio’s Sanctions
The State Department announced that it would freeze any assets belonging to ICC judges from Benin, Peru, Slovenia and Uganda within U.S. jurisdictions. This is just the latest dramatic step taken by the administration to punish the ICC and its officials for daring to investigate the actions against both Israel and the United States.
“As ICC judges, these four individuals have actively engaged in the ICC’s illegitimate and baseless actions targeting America or our close ally, Israel,” the Secretary of State fired back in a scathing statement.
“The ICC is politicized and falsely claims unfettered discretion to investigate, charge, and prosecute nationals of the United States and our allies,” Rubio continued. “This dangerous assertion and abuse of power infringes upon the sovereignty and national security of the United States and our allies, including Israel.”
ICC’s Response
This latest escalation follows the earlier sanction placed on the Hague-based court’s chief prosecutor, Karim Khan.
Khan found himself on Washington’s “Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons” list back in February. It restricts him from conducting business with Americans. Consequently, he stepped aside in May amid swirling allegations of sexual misconduct.
In a swift rebuke, ICC spokesperson Fadi El Abdallah proclaimed, “These measures are a clear attempt to undermine the independence of an international judicial institution.”
The Judges Targeted
The new sanctions specifically target ICC Judge Reine Alapini-Gansou from Benin, who was part of the chamber that issued an arrest warrant for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu last year. She also helped greenlight the investigation into alleged Israeli crimes in the Palestinian territories in 2021.
At 69, Alapini-Gansou stands resilient, having also been part of the panel that issued the arrest warrant for Russian President Vladimir Putin in 2023. She even has her own active arrest warrant in Moscow.
Rubio’s Other Targets
Slovenia’s Beti Hohler is another reported target of the sanctions.
Elected in 2023, Hohler faced Israel’s ire for her past role in the prosecutor’s office. She defended herself, stating she had never worked on the Palestinian territories investigation during her eight years as a prosecutor.
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Author: Joshua Wilburn
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