Why is the US sanctioning the International Criminal Court?

The sanctions targeting the ICC, which prosecutes humanitarian crimes, are the latest move by the US against the court. Save Share The United States has sanctioned the International Criminal Court (ICC), hours after one of its former judges was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in what the Nobel committee said was, in part, a show of support for institutions under attack. South African judge Navanethem “Navi” Pillay, who is currently a judge at the International Court of Justice (ICJ), also in The Hague, wasannouncedwinner of the prize on Friday. Nobel Committee Chairman Jorgen Watne Frydnes said the system of international law was “under tremendous pressure” and its institutions were “under attack”. “In awarding this year’s Nobel Peace Prize, the Norwegian Nobel Committee wants to remind the world that the rule of law – national and international – underpins the system we have set up to ensure peace and resolve conflicts non-violently. Peace requires justice,” the committee said. The US move follows sanctions it has already imposed this year on judges and other personnel at the ICC. Here’s what we know: On Friday, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced the latest set of US sanctions targeting the ICC, this time focusing on the court itself, which was established in 2002 to prosecute war crimes, genocide and crimes against humanity. “We will ban transactions with this rogue court, cutting off their resources and crippling their ability to operate against us because our message is clear: the United States and the American people are not subject to the jurisdiction of this fake ICC,” he said in a video shared on social media. The Trump administration claims that the ICC has gone beyond its remit by pursuing non-member countries. In 2024, the Trump administration condemned the court when it issuedarrest warrantsfor Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defence Minister Yoav Gallant for suspected war crimes in Gaza. It also previously opened an investigation into the actions of US soldiers in Afghanistan. The US and Israel are not parties to the Rome Statute, the treaty that establishes the court’s jurisdiction. However, abuses committed by citizens of non-statute states in ICC territories or countries can still be prosecuted....