US slaps sanctions on ICC judges, prosecutors over Israel cases

WASHINGTON: The Trump administration on Wednesday imposed sanctions on two judges and two prosecutors of the International Criminal Court (ICC), escalating its confrontation with the war tribunal over its pursuit of Israeli leaders.

The US Treasury and State Department designated Nicolas Yann Guillou of France, Nazhat Shameem Khan of Fiji, Mame Mandiaye Niang of Senegal, and Kimberly Prost of Canada. The four have been directly involved in proceedings that led to arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, former defence chief Yoav Gallant, and Hamas leader Ibrahim al-Masri over alleged war crimes in Gaza.

Guillou, an ICC judge, presided over the pre-trial panel that issued Netanyahu’s warrant, while Khan and Niang are deputy prosecutors.

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The latest action comes less than three months after Washington sanctioned four other ICC judges, denouncing the court’s “illegitimate and baseless actions” against the US and its ally Israel.

The ICC, which condemned the earlier sanctions as an attempt to erode judicial independence, has not immediately commented.

The sanctions freeze any US assets held by the officials and bar them from the American financial system.

Established in 2002, the ICC has jurisdiction to try genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes in member states or cases referred by the UN Security Council. The United States, Israel, China and Russia are not members of the court.

The tribunal is pursuing war crimes investigations in Gaza, Ukraine, Sudan, Myanmar, Venezuela, the Philippines and Afghanistan.