Washington lifts sanctions imposed by the Trump administration on the International Criminal Court
US President Joe Biden issued a decision to lift the sanctions imposed by the previous US administration on Fatou Bensouda, the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court, after those sanctions sparked international criticism.
In a statement, US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken said, “Washington is taking this step, although it is still very different from the International Criminal Court procedures related to Afghanistan and the Palestinian situation, and it is still opposing the efforts made by the International Criminal Court to assert jurisdiction over individuals from countries other than Its members are like the United States and Israel. ”
Blinken stressed that the United States is enthusiastic about those reforms that are being discussed widely to help the ICC prioritize its resources and fulfill its mission, as the court of last resort to punish and deter atrocity in the face of atrocity crimes, he said.
In September, the Trump administration targeted employees of the court, including Bensouda, with measures that included freezing of assets and a ban on entry due to the investigation of American citizens without Washington’s consent.
The ICC said the sanctions were an attack on international justice and the rule of law.
At the time, Bensouda stated that the court had sufficient information to establish that US forces committed acts of torture, abuse, rape and sexual violence in Afghanistan during 2003 and 2004.
