WASHINGTON—The State Department imposed sanctions on the International Criminal Court (ICC) on Friday, saying Washington “will ban transactions with this rogue court, cutting off their resources and crippling its ability to operate.”
“For decades, Republicans and Democrats alike rejected the idea that the International Criminal Court had the power to prosecute American citizens, military service members, or political leaders,” Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in a statement.
“America never joined the court. We don’t need it. And we don’t want it.”
The United States has opposed ICC efforts to investigate or prosecute American military and intelligence officers for actions in Afghanistan or other previous operations.
Washington has consistently held that the ICC lacks jurisdiction over citizens of countries that have not ratified the Rome Statute.
“Either the ICC will end its threats, or we will end the ICC,” Rubio said in his statement.
The ICC’s deputy prosecutor, Nazhat Shameem Khan, condemned the U.S. sanctions.
“The sanctions are intended to undermine the rule of law internationally and the work that an independent judicial institution is doing,” Khan told Reuters. “Our work will continue across all our situations, our investigations and our prosecutions.”
This is a developing story that will be updated.
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