U.S. sanctions leave I.C.C. judges cut off from American services as court retools systems

Judges at the International Criminal Court in The Hague say U.S. sanctions imposed by the Trump administration have shut them out of American funds, goods and services, complicating daily life and prompting the court to reconfigure its systems. On Dec. 18, Washington blacklisted two more I.C.C.

judges, bringing to 11 the court officials — eight judges and three top prosecutors — subject to American sanctions. Some were targeted over a 2020 decision to investigate allegations about U.S. military and C.I.A. personnel in Afghanistan, even though the prosecutor effectively shelved the U.S.

component of that case in 2021. The U.S. measures aim principally to press the court to withdraw 2024 arrest warrants for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Yoav Gallant of Israel, and the court is also investigating alleged atrocities in Afghanistan, Libya, Myanmar, Sudan, Ukraine, Venezuela and Gaza; the trial of Rodrigo Duterte is expected to begin soon.

Judges described concrete impacts: “We’re treated like pariahs, we are on a list with terrorists and drug dealers,” said Luz del Carmen Ibáñez Carranza. Kimberly Prost said, “You lose immediate access to all the main credit cards that go through the Swift system, which is controlled by the U.S.,” and added that “My Amazon and Google accounts were closed.

Key Topics

World, International Criminal Court, The Hague, U.s. Sanctions, Benjamin Netanyahu, Yoav Gallant