International Criminal condemns US sanctions against Prosecutor

The International Criminal Court on Wednesday condemned the sanctions imposed by the United States on the court’s attorney general, Fatou Bensouda, who wants to conduct an investigation into war crimes in Afghanistan, saying they are “unprecedented” and “unacceptable.”
The court said in a statement at its headquarters in The Hague that it “condemns the economic sanctions imposed by the United States earlier (Wednesday) on the prosecutor and a member of her office.”
The administration of President Donald Trump implemented its threat against one of the staunchest enemies of the American conservatives, by imposing unprecedented economic sanctions on the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court, which was established in 2002 to try the worst atrocities committed in the world.
“These repressive acts directed against an international judicial institution and its officials are unprecedented, and constitute serious attacks on the court, the Rome Statute of international criminal justice and the rule of law in general,” the court said in its statement.
The US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced the inclusion of Bensouda and Vaciso Moshushoku, director of the jurisdiction, integration and cooperation department at the court, on the blacklist.
Under this decision, they are supposed to freeze their assets, if any, in the United States and prevent them from entering the US financial system.
In March, the International Criminal Court decided to allow an investigation into war crimes and crimes against humanity in Afghanistan.
The investigation that Bensouda wants to conduct is aimed at practices committed by American soldiers in Afghanistan. Information was also received about torture by the US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA).
“I strongly reject these unprecedented and unacceptable measures against an international organization founded on treaties,” said Judge Ou Gun Kwon, head of the state party body of the court.
He added that the US sanctions “only serve to weaken our joint efforts to fight impunity for mass atrocities.”
He announced an upcoming meeting of his office to “study the procedures.”