The president of the United States, Donald Trumpsigned an executive order on Thursday to sanction the International Criminal Court (CPI) for its actions against the United States and allies as Israel.
Trump considers that the ICC has undertaken “illegitimate and unfounded actions against the United States” and Israel, defined as a “narrow ally.” He considers that the agency has “abused even more of its power by issuing unfounded arrest orders” against Israeli prime minister, Benjamín Netanyahu, and its former Minister of Defense Yoav Galant.
The #Icc CONDEMNS THE ISSUANCE BY THE US OF AN EXECUTIVE ORDER SEEKING TO IMPOSE SANCTIONS ON ITS OFFORCIALS AND HARM ITS INDEPENDENT AND JUDICIAL OPPARTIAL WORK. https://t.co/wxwxzsih7a
– Int’l Criminal Court (@intlcrimcourt) February 7, 2025
For Trump, the recent actions of the ICC “feel a dangerous precedent, putting at risk directly to the current and previous staff of the United States, including active service members of the Armed Forces, by exposing them to harassment, abuse and possible arrest.”
That “evil behavior”, in his opinion, “threatens to violate the sovereignty of the United States and undermines the critical work of national and foreign security of the US government” and its allies.
Reaction
The CPI condemned Trump’s executive order on Friday and considers that it will “harm his independent and impartial judicial work.
In response, he stressed that “he remains firm with his staff and undertakes to continue providing justice and hope to millions of innocent victims of atrocities worldwide” in all the investigations he has open.
“We call on our 125 states part, to civil society and all the nations of the world to join in defense of justice and fundamental human rights,” the court added in a brief statement.
Restrictions
Although it stands out that Washington remains committed to accountability, it is requested that the CPI respect its decision and that of other countries not to submit its personnel to the jurisdiction of that Court.
The order contemplates financial restrictions as well as the restriction of visas to individuals of the ICC, as well as their immediate family (couple and children), who collaborate in court investigations against US citizens or Washington allies.
Thus, the entry “without restrictions” of immigrants and non -immigrants that are considered to meet the criteria marked is liddled and suspended, unless from the State Department the opposite is determined based on recommendations of the Attorney General, Pam Bondi.
For Trump, any effort of the CPI to investigate, arrest or process protected people “constitutes an unusual and extraordinary threat to national security and foreign policy of the United States”, which is why he said to declare “a national emergency to address that threat”.
In the next 60 days, the Treasury Department was asked to deliver a list with additional people who may be affected by this measure.
His firm arrived after Trump’s meeting on Tuesday with Netanyahu, whom in November the ICC pointed out with an arrest warrant for alleged war crimes and humanity in the Gaza Strip.
A WAR FROM 2020
During his first term, Trump imposed sanctions against the then prosecutor of the ICC, Fatou Bensoud, and one of his main advisors due to a court investigation into alleged war crimes committed by US troops in Afghanistan.
International Criminal Court dictates arrest warrant against Netyahu for war crimes in Gaza
Trump’s measure arrives after last week the Senate Democrats, in a minority in that camera, blocked an attempt led by Republicans to sanction the ICC in response to their arrest orders against Netanyahu and its former Minister of Defense, Yoav Gallant, for the Israeli offensive in Gaza.
The CPI was created through the Rome Statute, it is an international court with the mission of judging people accused of war crimes, lesa humanity and genocide. The United States, China, Russia and Israel are not members of the Court and, therefore, do not recognize their jurisdiction.
This Thursday Trump also signed another decree against the “anti-Christian bias.”
With information from EFE and CNN.
