International Court of Justice under scrutiny by the USA
* Sanctions against judges of the International Court of Justice occur after the Court, in November 2024, issued an arrest warrant against the Prime Minister of Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu.
* Alongside the former Israeli Defense Minister, Yoav Gallant, and leaders of Hamas, Netanyahu has been accused of committing war crimes against civilians in the Gaza Strip.
* As a way to defend its historic ally, the U.S. government initiated a series of retaliations against officials of the ICC. Historically, Washington does not recognize the jurisdiction of the International Court of Justice.
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* This time, judges Nicolas Yann Guillou and Kimberly Prost were sanctioned, as well as prosecutors Nazhat Shameem Khan and Mame Mandiaye Niang. Their assets in the U.S. have been frozen.
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* In addition to the action against Netanyahu, which culminated in the arrest warrant against the Israeli Prime Minister, the U.S. is targeting a judge involved in investigations regarding the American presence and possible war crimes committed by U.S. military personnel in Afghanistan.
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* Without concrete evidence, the U.S. Secretary of State stated that the measure is in response to the “legal war” of the ICC – also known as the International Court of Justice – through “efforts to investigate, arrest, detain, and prosecute U.S. and Israeli citizens.”
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This is not the first time that members of the Court have been targeted by U.S. retaliations. The ICC itself was sanctioned earlier this year, as well as three judges and the Attorney General of The Hague, Karim Khan.
* The measures are a direct response to the arrest warrant against Netanyahu, who is accused of committing war crimes against Palestinians during the war in the Gaza Strip.
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