According to WSJ, these measures could paralyze the court’s work. The publication’s sources clarified that the restrictions could be finalized during this week’s UN General Assembly session.
In July, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced a sweeping campaign against the court and threatened, if necessary, to tear it down “brick by brick”. He said the ICC’s decisions to prosecute officials from countries that are not parties to the court create a dangerous precedent and threaten U.S. sovereignty.
Washington’s relations with the ICC worsened after the court launched an investigation into American service members and refused to close these cases. Later, the ICC issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, who are accused of crimes against humanity and war crimes during the war with Hamas.
Earlier, the court issued an arrest warrant for Russian President Vladimir Putin on charges of illegally deporting children from occupied territories of Ukraine to Russia. Donald Trump later joked that the ICC might be interested in him as well.
After that, Washington imposed sanctions on a number of court officials, including former chief prosecutor Karim Khan, who was suspended in July over allegations of sexual misconduct. According to Politico, the U.S. also called on NATO allies to leave the ICC, warning that it intends to “systematically weaken” its capabilities. The Trump administration, Politico wrote, proposed that allies examine the threat the ICC poses to them, condemn its “excessive powers”, and end financial support for the court.
Japan, Norway, Finland, Belgium, Germany, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom previously spoke in support of the ICC.
Sources
