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Washington D.C. – Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced further sanctions against four officials of the International Criminal Court (ICC) on Wednesday. These sanctions target two judges and two deputy prosecutors for their involvement in investigations and potential prosecution of individuals from non-member states, including the United States and Israel. This brings the total number of ICC officials sanctioned by the U.S. to eight.
The targeted individuals include Judges Kimberly Prost (Canada) and Nicolas Guillou (France), and Deputy Prosecutors Nazhat Shameem Khan (Fiji) and Mame Mandiaye Niang (Senegal). Secretary Rubio accused the ICC of “politicization, abuse of power, disregard for our national sovereignty and illegitimate judicial overreach,” calling the court a “national security threat” and an “instrument of lawfare” against the U.S. and Israel.
Specifically, Prost is sanctioned for authorizing an investigation into U.S. personnel in Afghanistan. Guillou faces sanctions for authorizing arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant. Khan and Niang are sanctioned for their continued support of actions against Netanyahu and Gallant.
The sanctions freeze any assets the individuals hold within U.S. jurisdiction and prohibit U.S. citizens and entities from engaging in financial transactions with them.
The ICC has strongly condemned the sanctions, calling them a “flagrant attack” on the court’s independence and vowing to continue its work undeterred.
These latest sanctions follow similar measures taken in June against other ICC judges and officials. Both the U.S. and Israel are not members of the 125-state ICC, established in 2002.