Trump administration sanctions ICC officials over actions against US, Israel
The United States has imposed sanctions on four additional International Criminal Court (ICC) officials for actions targeting Americans and Israelis. The State Department cited President Donald Trump’s executive order, “Imposing Sanctions on the International Criminal Court,” as the basis for issuing the sanctions.
The individuals facing sanctions are ICC Judges Kimberly Prost (Canada) and Nicolas Yann Guillou (France), as well as ICC Deputy Prosecutors Nazhat Shameem Khan (Fiji) and Mame Mandiaye Niang (Senegal). These officials are accused of engaging in efforts to investigate, arrest, detain, or prosecute nationals of the United States or Israel without their consent.
Prost authorized an investigation of U.S. personnel in Afghanistan, while Guillou approved ICC arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Minister of Defense Yoav Gallant. Khan and Niang are alleged to have supported illegitimate ICC actions against Israel since assuming leadership roles in the ICC’s Office of the Prosecutor.
In response to the sanctions, the ICC issued a statement expressing its disapproval of the U.S. administration’s actions. The ICC described the sanctions as an attack on the institution’s independence and a violation of the rules-based international order.
The State Department stated that the sanctions are intended to impose significant consequences on the sanctioned individuals. Their U.S. assets have been frozen, and U.S. persons and businesses are prohibited from engaging in any transactions with them. The sanctions also apply to companies in which the individuals hold at least 50 percent ownership.
President Trump’s executive order in February denounced the ICC’s actions against the United States and Israel as illegitimate and baseless. The order rejected any ICC actions against the U.S. or its allies who have not consented to ICC jurisdiction. The sanctions imposed on the ICC officials align with the measures outlined in the executive order.
The sanctions serve as a response to what the U.S. perceives as the ICC’s overreach and disregard for national sovereignty. By targeting individuals who have allegedly undermined U.S. and Israeli interests, the U.S. aims to hold them accountable for their actions.
This article was rewritten by Rachel Wolf for Fox News Digital and FOX Business.
