7/2/2025–|Last update: 7/2/20255:10 p.m. (Mecca time)
79 countries have announced their support for the International Criminal Court and warned against the risk of impunity and weaken the rule of international law, after the sanctions imposed by Washington on the court.
On Thursday, US President Donald Trump signed an executive decree to impose sanctions on the International Criminal Court and declared “a state of national emergency to face the threat represented by the efforts of the Court”, criticizing the issuance of Arrest ordinances for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Secretary for the Yoav Defense Gallant.
In a joint declaration prepared for the initiative of Slovenia, Luxembourg, Mexico, Sierra Leone and Vanuato, it was signed by Great Britain, France, Germany, South Africa, the Palestinian Authority, the Canada, Chile and Panama, that “we are a solid supporter of the International Criminal Court, we regret any attempt to undermine the independence of the court.”
The declaration said that these sanctions would strongly undermine all the situations which are currently the subject of an investigation, because the court may have to close its offices on the ground.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pidun0l-8q0
The threat of the independence of the court
In international reactions, the president of the European Council, Antonio Costa, said that this decision threatens the independence of the International Court and undermines the international criminal justice system as a whole.
In Great Britain, the Prime Minister said, by his spokesperson, that Great Britain supports the independence of the International Criminal Court and does not intend to impose sanctions on its officials.
Germany has also announced that it would continue to support the International Criminal Court, and the German Chancellor Olaf Schultz said that the sanctions imposed by Trump threatened the institution which is supposed to guarantee the inability of tyrants in this world to persecute peoples and start wars.
As for France, he confirmed his external support for his support for the International Criminal Court; She said, in a statement, that Paris will work with its partners to ensure the continuous work of the international criminal court independently and impartiality.
Similar positions have been issued and convicted by Trump’s decision by the United Nations, Human Rights Watch, the European Commission and the Netherlands.
And Trump’s decision said that the court was involved in “illegal and baseless” actions “targeting the United States and its close ally Israel, and” it affirmed – without foundation – its jurisdiction over members of the United States And some of its allies, including Israel.
In response, the Criminal Tribunal has undertaken to stand firmly with its employees and called “Member States, Civil Society and all the countries of the world to be united for justice and fundamental human rights”.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P_HXVJT8APY
The purpose of penalties
New sanctions target people who help in international criminal surveys related to citizens or allies of the United States like Israel, and include freezing of all active people in the United States and preventing them and their families from visiting the States -Unis.
The court has taken proactive measures to protect its employees against possible American sanctions, as it paid wages for 3 months in advance and has prepared for financial restrictions that can hinder its work.
In December 2023, the president of the court, Tomoko Akani, warned that the American sanctions could “undermine the operations of the court on all cases and put themselves in danger”.
This is not the first time that the United States has imposed sanctions on the International Criminal Court. In war crimes committed by American forces in Afghanistan.
The court was created in 2002 to judge the persons involved in war crimes, crimes against humanity, genocide and the launching crime; When the Member States are not willing or unable to do so by themselves.
He may take into account the questions related to the crimes committed by the citizens of the Member States or the land of the Member States by other parties, while the number of Member States is 125. The court budget for 2025 is approximately 195 million euros ($ 202 million).