UN special rapporteur hits US sanctions on ICC

The Manila Times

UN special rapporteur hits US sanctions on ICC   US decision to put sanctions on the International Criminal Court (ICC) is a 'shocking move,' the UN Special Rapporteur on the independence of judges and lawyers says on Feb. 12, 2025 urging the international community to give a strong response. The sanctions, which repeat action Trump took during his first term, include freezing of US assets of those designated and barring them and their families from visiting the United States.  REUTERS VIDEO  Subscribe to The Manila Times Channel - https://tmt.ph/YTSubscribe  Visit our website at https://www.manilatimes.net  Follow us:  Facebook - https://tmt.ph/facebook  Instagram - https://tmt.ph/instagram  Twitter - https://tmt.ph/twitter  DailyMotion - https://tmt.ph/dailymotion   Subscribe to our Digital Edition - https://tmt.ph/digital   Check out our Podcasts:  Spotify - https://tmt.ph/spotify  Apple Podcasts - https://tmt.ph/applepodcasts  Amazon Music - https://tmt.ph/amazonmusic  Deezer: https://tmt.ph/deezer Stitcher: https://tmt.ph/stitcher  Tune In: https://tmt.ph/tunein  Soundcloud: https://tmt.ph/soundcloud   #TheManilaTimes #tmtnews #unitednations #ussanctions #internationalcriminalcourt

Transcript

00:00Even though we knew that this was likely to happen,

00:03it's a shocking move.

00:04It is a true blow to the international rule of law

00:09and a direct punch in the face to a court

00:13that is the only one the international community

00:15can count on to hold to account people

00:18who are responsible for the most grave crimes.

00:21So honestly, it's shocking, it's unacceptable,

00:25and it requires a very robust response

00:28from the other member states

00:29of the International Criminal Court.

00:33The initial response of a statement is excellent,

00:36but now what we need to see is, for example,

00:38the EU's blocking statute should be activated

00:42so that the official who has been sanctioned

00:46does not have to experience the sanctions

00:48in Europe at minimum.

00:50And then I think we also need to expect

00:53that there will be additional individuals potentially named.

00:57But concretely, it is a very serious and problematic thing

01:02to be targeted by the US government with sanctions.

01:05It means that your assets will be frozen,

01:08that you have no ability to use any kind of account

01:11that has dollars associated with it,

01:14that any kind of assets you might have

01:16that would touch the United States would be suddenly frozen,

01:19that you cannot get a visa to the US,

01:22which could, for a prosecutor

01:24of the International Criminal Court,

01:26really could throw a wrench,

01:27not only in his ability to meet with officials,

01:30to meet with human rights defenders,

01:32with perhaps even witnesses and victims,

01:36but also his capacity to easily go

01:38to and from the UN headquarters.

01:40So these are very, very severe potential consequences.

01:45This reminds us that these sanctions

01:47are meant to be for terrorism, terrorists,

01:51and for those, for example,

01:53involved in horrible crimes of trafficking

01:57or drug trafficking.

01:58And applying them now to a court

02:02implicates human rights lawyers

02:05who might be simply trying to get accountability

02:08for grave crimes and cooperating with the prosecutor.

02:12They could potentially be charged with material support

02:16for assisting a sanctioned person.

02:18That is shocking.

02:20So it's more severe in that way.

02:22It's an immediate reaction to the court's activity

02:27in a particular situation,

02:29in a situation where the international community

02:32unfortunately failed to stop grave violations

02:36against the people in Gaza.

02:38And now we need accountability for that situation.

02:41And instead, what we're getting is a powerful state

02:45sanctioning, attacking under law, the court.

02:50It's totally shocking.

02:52And I think for that reason,

02:53we need to keep the context in mind.

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