U.S. President Donald Trump on Thursday authorized economic and travel sanctions targeting people who work on International Criminal Court (ICC) investigations of U.S. citizens or U.S. allies such as Israel, repeating action he took during his first term.
The move coincides with a visit to Washington by Israel’s Prime Minister Benajmin Netanyahu, who – along with his former defense minister and a leader of Palestinian militant group Hamas – is wanted by the ICC over the war in the Gaza Strip.
It was unclear how quickly the U.S. would announce names of people sanctioned. During the first Trump administration in 2020, Washington imposed sanctions on then-prosecutor Fatou Bensouda and one of her top aides over the ICC’s investigation into alleged war crimes by American troops in Afghanistan.
The ICC did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The sanctions include freezing any U.S. assets of those designated and barring them and their families from visiting the United States.
The 125-member ICC is a permanent court that can prosecute individuals for war crimes, crimes against humanity, genocide and the crime of aggression against the territory of member states or by their nationals. The United States, China, Russia and Israel are not members.
Trump signed the executive order after U.S. Senate Democrats last week blocked a Republican-led effort to pass legislation setting up a sanctions regime targeting the war crimes court.
Madukwe B. Nwabuisi is an accomplished journalist renown for his fearless reporting style and extensive expertise in the field. He is an investigative journalist, who has established himself as a kamikaze reporter.
