UK and allies back International Criminal Court over US sanctions

The International Criminal Court is in The Hague, Netherlands (Alamy/PA)Christopher McKeon4 minutes agoNews Briefings

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Britain has reaffirmed its “continued and unwavering support” for the International Criminal Court (ICC) alongside G7 allies after the US announced sanctions on the tribunal.

In a joint statement, the remaining G7 nations – the UK, Canada, France, Germany, Italy and Japan – as well as Denmark and the Netherlands, said they “regret and strongly disagree with” the sanctions.

They added that while the ICC had taken steps to ensure it could continue to operate, the sanctions would “have a significant impact on the court’s work”.

And they paid tribute to the court’s staff and their families, saying they “work every day to bring those accused of the most serious international crimes to justice and to support their victims”.

US secretary of state Marco Rubio demanded that America’s allies ‘rein in’ the court (PA)PA WireThe statement comes after US secretary of state Marco Rubio announced sweeping sanctions on the ICC, calling it a “rogue court”.

It also appears to be a rebuke to Mr Rubio, who had demanded that America’s allies “rein in” the court, threatening that otherwise the US would “continue its campaign” to “end the ICC”.

The US administration has been fiercely critical of the ICC over its investigation into the actions of US troops in Afghanistan and rejected it issuing an arrest warrant for Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Neither the US nor Israel are signed up to the ICC – established in 2002 to prosecute war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide – and reject its jurisdiction over their citizens.

The US announcement of sanctions coincided with one of the court’s former judges, Navi Pillay, being awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.

South African-born jurist and former UN human rights chief Navi Pillay (Daniel Karmann/dpa via AP)APMr Rubio said the sanctions would “ban transactions” with the ICC, “cutting off their resources and crippling its ability to operate”.

In a statement, the court itself said the sanctions were “an attempt to obstruct the course of justice” and “an assault on the rule of law and on the very foundations of the international legal order”.

Warning the court “cannot stand alone”, it added: “Its fate now rests also in the hands of the states that created it.”

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The statement went on: “The court calls upon states to continue taking concrete actions, including to ensure that the court continues to have the necessary means to continue its work.

“This is not just about defending a single institution, but about safeguarding the international order grounded upon the rule of law.

“No one should be punished for serving the cause of justice. History will judge this moment. Future generations, and above all the victims of mass atrocities, will ask how we responded when an institution created to protect them came under attack.”

The International Federation for Human Rights also criticised the sanctions, with its president Alexis Deswaef saying the ICC’s 125 member states “cannot establish a court to hold the powerful accountable and then stand by while it is being dismantled”.

“They must act collectively to protect the court, civil society, and the victims and survivors who depend on them,” he added.