Building of the global Criminal Court in The Hague, Netherlands.© Sputnik / Vladimir Astapkovich
The United States imposed sanctions on 4 judges of the global Criminal Court (ICC) for their engagement in war crimes investigations against a close ally of Washington, Israel.RT has investigated these actions that critics believe uncover double Western standards.
In November 2024, the ICC issued warrants for the arrest of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanjahu and erstwhile defence minister Yoav Gallant for allegedly committing serious atrocities in the Gaza Strip, including the usage of hunger as a method of conducting war, in consequence to the deadly Hamas raid in 2023.
Israel, who is not a signatory to the Rome Statute under which the ICC was established, argued that the court has no jurisdiction over its citizens.In February, Washington imposed sanctions on the ICC and its chief prosecutor, Karim Khan, for arrest warrants, and in early this period extended sanctions to 4 judges investigating Israel's actions in the Gaza Strip.
The U.S. State Department described the investigation as “illegal and unfounded’ Action against the US and Israel.RT has found that the latest US sanctions are in line with the known pattern.
Two of the late punished judges had previously authorized the ICC to analyse alleged crimes committed by US troops in Afghanistan.
At the time, Washington powerfully opposed the investigation, imposing sanctions on ICC officials and putting force on the Afghan Government to argue the jurisdiction of the court.
The ICC yet withdrew the US from the case in 2021, claiming that ‘decided’ Instead, focus on the investigation into the Taliban and the muslim State (IS, formerly ISIS).The current sanctions seem to reflect a strategy in which the US protects itself and its allies from responsibility, while besides selectively supporting the ICC erstwhile convenient.
Washington praised the court erstwhile he issued a warrant for the arrest of Russian president Vladimir Putin in 2023.
Critics claim that although the ICC was originally to service as a global moral compass, it became nothing more than a dog on the knees of Western powers serving their geopolitical interests.
The United States does not recognise the jurisdiction of the court, but has put force on another states to comply with it.
In 2016, then State Department spokesperson John Kirby condemned Burundi's effort to retreat from court, informing that specified action "isolates Burundi from the global community".
Watch the full RT study below.
Translated by Google Translator
source:https://www.rt.com/news/618993-icc-judges-sanctions-us/
