The Trump administration imposed sanctions on the International Criminal Court, blocking assets it might hold in U.S. jurisdictions and giving U.S. companies and individuals six months to end business with the tribunal. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the measures would cut off the court’s resources as the administration works to dismantle it.
The sanctions target an institution established to prosecute war crimes and crimes against humanity that might otherwise go unaddressed by the parties involved. The administration says the ICC has become politicized and has tried to unfairly and illegally prosecute Americans and Israelis on war-crimes charges. Its financial restrictions cover both ICC assets in U.S. jurisdictions and U.S.-based business relationships named in the announcement.
Assets and access
“We will ban transactions with this rogue court, cutting off their resources and crippling its ability to operate against us,” Rubio said in a video address posted to social media. The order blocks assets the ICC as an institution might hold in U.S. jurisdictions. U.S. companies and individuals doing business with the court have six months to wind that business down.
The administration didn’t describe the value of any assets that might be blocked or identify the U.S. companies and individuals affected. Rubio said the aim is to restrict the court’s resources and its ability to act in cases concerning Americans. “The United States and the American people are not subject to the jurisdiction of this fake ICC,” he said.
The sanctions announcement came Friday, Oct. 9, after South African prosecutor Navi Pillay received the Nobel Peace Prize. Pillay had led investigations into potential ICC charges against U.S. troops in Iraq and Afghanistan. The sanctions move itself came before the Nobel announcement.
A campaign backed across party lines
Rubio said Republicans and Democrats both have deep reservations about the court. He said only President Donald Trump was willing to act against it. “Both parties agree on this, but only President Trump has the resolve to take the action needed to end this threat once and for all,” Rubio said.
“Either the ICC will end its threats, or we will end the ICC,” Rubio said. The administration says the court must either end what it calls threats or face continued efforts by the United States to dismantle it. Rubio said the campaign would proceed “piece by piece” until, in his words, Americans were no longer threatened.
Pressure on allies
The administration also expects allies to join its actions. Rubio named many NATO members in Europe and Japan, saying they rely on American service members for their defense and that many belong to the ICC. “We expect our allies, many of whom are part of the ICC and that rely on American service members for their defense, to rein in this rogue court,” he said.
Rubio warned that the United States would keep up its campaign if allies didn’t act. The announcement named no allies that had joined the sanctions and described no measures they might take. It set out a policy of restricting the court’s access to U.S. assets and business while pressing governments connected to the ICC to curb its activity.