Trump sanctions four ICC judges

The judges and court are accused of abusing and overextending their power by issuing arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Minister of Defense Yoav Gallant.

By Avi Woolf, JFeed

US President Donald Trump sanctioned four International Criminal Court (ICC) justices on Thursday in accordance with his campaign against the court for its prosecutions against Israel and the United States.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio reportedly supported the move.

Here is the full statement, from the State Department website: “Today, the United States is sanctioning four individuals, currently serving as judges of the International Criminal Court. We do not take this step lightly.

It reflects the seriousness of the threat we face from the ICC’s politicization and abuse of power.

The Department of State’s designations are made pursuant to Executive Order (E.O.) 14203, which authorizes sanctions on foreign persons engaged in certain efforts by the ICC and aims to impose tangible and significant consequences on those directly engaged in the ICC’s transgressions against the United States and Israel.

The Department is designating the following individuals pursuant to section 1(a)(ii)(A) of E.O. 14203, for having directly engaged in any effort by the ICC to investigate, arrest, detain, or prosecute a protected person without consent of that person’s country of nationality:

SOLOMY BALUNGI BOSSA, Judge, Appeals Division, International Criminal Court.

LUZ DEL CARMEN IBANEZ CARRANZA, Judge, Appeals Division, International Criminal Court.

REINE ADELAIDE SOPHIE ALAPINI GANSOU, Judge, Pre-Trial and Trial Division, International Criminal Court.

BETI HOHLER, Judge, Pre-Trial and Trial Division, International Criminal Court.

Bossa and Ibanez Carranza ruled to authorize the ICC’s investigation against US personnel in Afghanistan. Alapini Gansou and Hohler ruled to authorize the ICC’s issuance of arrest warrants targeting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Minister of Defense Yoav Gallant.”