Washington Imposes New Sanctions On ICC Officials 

The International Criminal Court (ICC) this week criticized the United States’ decision to impose sanctions on its judges and deputy prosecutors, escalating a confrontation over the tribunal’s efforts to prosecute Israeli leaders and US military personnel, the BBC reported. 

On Wednesday, the US State Department announced sanctions against Judge Nicolas Guillou of France and Judge Kimberly Prost of Canada, as well as deputy prosecutors Nazhat Shameem Khan of Fiji and Mame Mandiaye Niang of Senegal. 

The sanctions freeze any US assets the officials may hold and bar them from the American financial system. 

In a statement announcing the sanctions, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio accused the court of judicial overreach and called the ICC “a national security threat” and “an instrument of lawfare” against the US and Israel. 

The decision follows a series of rulings by the Dutch-based court that have directly targeted US and Israeli figures.  

Guillou presided over a pre-trial panel that issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, former defense minister Yoav Gallant, and late Hamas leader Ibrahim al-Masri in November 2024 for alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity related to the conflict in Gaza.  

Prosecutors Khan and Niang were accused of “illegitimate actions against Israel,” while Prost was sanctioned for a 2020 appeals chamber decision authorizing investigations into possible crimes by US personnel in Afghanistan, according to Reuters. 

The ICC called the sanctions “a flagrant attack” on its independence, saying the US move undermines the rules-based international order and the pursuit of justice for victims of atrocities. France’s foreign ministry also expressed “dismay” at the targeting of Guillou, and United Nations officials warned that the sanctions “impose severe impediments” on the functioning of the court.  

In contrast, Netanyahu welcomed the sanctions as a “firm measure against the mendacious smear campaign” directed at Israel.  

The move was the second round of US sanctions against the court in recent months, following restrictions on ICC chief prosecutor Karim Khan and four judges earlier this year.  

Established in 2002, the ICC has jurisdiction to prosecute war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide in its 125 member states or when cases are referred to it by the UN Security Council. 

However, major powers, including the US, Israel, China, and Russia, do not recognize the court’s authority.