THE HAGUE: The International Criminal Court on Friday called on its member states to stand up against sanctions imposed by US President Donald Trump, saying that the move was an attempt to “harm its independent and impartial judicial work”.
And the embattled court got plenty of support from traditional US allies in Europe who stood up against the Trump measure.
“Sanctioning the ICC threatens the court’s independence and undermines the international criminal justice system as a whole,” said European Council President António Costa, who heads the summits of the European Union’s 27 leaders. It was the toughest direct criticism to a decision by Trump by a top EU official since he took office again last month.
The White House issued the executive order on Thursday in response to what it called “illegitimate and baseless actions targeting America and our close ally Israel”.
The US and Israel aren’t members of the court and don’t recognise it’s authority, and Trump’s order was a response to the arrest warrant that the ICC issued last year for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over alleged war crimes in Gaza.
Tens of thousands of Palestinians, including children, have been killed during the Israeli military’s response to Hamas’ attack on southern Israel that killed around 1,200 people in October 2023. The figure of Palestinians killed is provided by Gaza’s Health Ministry, which doesn’t distinguish between fighters
and civilians.
The Hague-based court said that it “condemns” the move by the Trump administration.
“The Court stands firmly by its personnel and pledges to continue providing justice and hope to millions of innocent victims of atrocities across the world,” the court said in a statement.
“We call on our 125 States Parties, civil society and all nations of the world to stand united for justice and fundamental human rights,” it said.
And many did.
Germany will await the concrete effects of the sanctions, but clearly showed where its sympathy lies.
“The ICC is one of the greatest accomplishments of international criminal law,” Foreign Ministry spokesperson Kathrin Deschauer said. “We as Germany support the ICC and will continue
to do so.”
She noted that countries that are parties to the ICC rallied behind the court when Trump took similar measures in his first term, and “we as Europeans and Germany will remain one of the biggest supporters of the ICC.”
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said that the court “must be able to freely pursue the fight against global impunity. Europe will always stand for justice and the respect of international law.”