Washington: US President Donald Trump lobbed a broadside attack on Thursday against the International Criminal Court by authorising economic sanctions and travel restrictions against court workers directly involved in investigating American troops and intelligence officials for possible war crimes in Afghanistan without US consent.
The executive order signed by the president marks his administration's latest attack against international organizations, treaties and agreements that do not hew to its policies.
Since taking office, Trump has withdrawn from the Paris climate accord, the Iran nuclear deal and two arms control treaties with Russia. He has pulled the US out of the UN Human Rights Council and the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, threatened to leave the International Postal Union and announced an end to cooperation with the World Health Organization.
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"The International Criminal Court's actions are an attack on the rights of the American people and threaten to infringe upon our national sovereignty," White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany said in a statement.
"The ICC was established to provide accountability for war crimes, but in practice, it has been an unaccountable and ineffective international bureaucracy that targets and threatens US personnel as well as personnel of our allies and partners."
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The executive order authorised the secretary of state, in consultation with the treasury secretary, to block financial assets within the US jurisdiction of court personnel who directly engage in investigating, harassing or detaining American personnel.
The order also authorises the secretary of state to block court officials and their family members involved in the investigations from entering the US. The ICC-related travel restrictions go beyond what the State Department issued last year.
McEnany also said that, despite repeated calls by Washington and its allies, the ICC has not embraced reform. She alleged that the court continues to pursue politically motivated investigations against the US and its partners, including Israel.
"We are concerned that adversary nations are manipulating the International Criminal Court by encouraging these allegations against United States personnel," she added. "Further, we have strong reason to believe there are corruption and misconduct at the highest levels of the International Criminal Court office of the prosecutor, calling into question the integrity of its investigation into American service members."
AP
