UN Experts Urge US Senate to Oppose ICC Sanctions Bill
Washington, MINA – UN experts on Friday urged the US Senate to oppose a bill seeking to impose sanctions and cut funding to the International Criminal Court (ICC) after the court issued arrest warrants for Israeli leaders accused of war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
“It is shocking to see a country that considers itself a champion of the rule of law trying to obstruct the actions of an independent and impartial court established by the international community, in order to thwart accountability,” the experts said in a statement as reported by Anadolu Agency.
Stressing that the threats to the ICC promote a “culture of impunity,” they called the bill “a mockery of decades of efforts to place the law above violence and cruelty.”
The ICC is a legacy of the Nuremberg trials of the Nazis, they said, along with a commitment to never allow heinous crimes, such as those committed during World War II, to go unpunished.
“The hard work of the ICC’s courageous legal professionals is a key enabler of accountability. The work of its prosecutors is the foundation upon which we continue to uphold the integrity of the international legal system,” the experts said.
They called on all ICC states parties and all member states in general to adhere to and respect international standards, as they relate to legal professionals who seek to bring to account “the most serious international crimes.”
“International standards provide that lawyers and judicial personnel should be able to carry out all their professional functions without intimidation, obstruction, harassment or inappropriate interference; and should not suffer, or be threatened with, legal prosecution or administrative, economic or other sanctions for any action taken in accordance with recognized professional duties, standards and ethics,” they warned.
The bill, called the Illegitimate Court Counteraction Act, threatens to sanction any individual who works to investigate, arrest, detain, or prosecute an American citizen or an official from a U.S. ally, including Israel.
The bill would also strip the U.S. of any funding the ICC has committed and prohibit any future funding to the court.
“Sanctioning judicial personnel for fulfilling their professional responsibilities constitutes a flagrant violation of human rights, striking at the very heart of judicial independence and the rule of law. Passage of a bill that creates a blind spot for the judiciary in certain countries not only legalizes double standards and impunity, but also undermines the spirit of universality on which the international justice system is based,” the experts said.
“Such actions erode public confidence in the impartiality and integrity of the judiciary and set a dangerous precedent, politicizing the judicial function and undermining the global commitment to accountability and justice.”
They warned that if implemented, the sanctions would constitute a violation of the administration of justice under Article 70 of the Rome Statute – which punishes attempts to obstruct or intimidate a judicial official or to retaliate against a judicial official for the duties performed by that official.
“We urge US lawmakers to uphold the rule of law and the independence of judges and lawyers, and we call on states to respect the Court’s independence as a judicial institution and to protect the independence and impartiality of those who serve on the Court,” the experts said. (T/RE1/P2)
Mi’raj News Agency (MINA)
