Hawzah News Agency- Speaking to delegations from the ICC’s 125 member states during the court’s annual meeting, Judge Akane declared, “We never accept any kind of pressure from anyone on issues of interpretation of the statutory framework and adjudication of cases''.
Earlier this year, US President Donald Trump sanctioned nine ICC staff members, including six judges and the chief prosecutor, Karim Khan, for pursuing investigations involving American and Israeli officials.
Judge Akane highlighted that the sanctions, which include asset freezes and exclusion from the US financial system, have disrupted the personal lives of targeted officials and complicated their financial transactions across ICC member states in Europe.
Headquartered in The Hague, the ICC drew international attention last November when it ruled that there were “reasonable grounds” to conclude that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former defense minister Yoav Gallant bear criminal responsibility for systematic war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.
While neither Israel nor the US is a member of the ICC, the court recognizes the state of Palestine and asserts jurisdiction over alleged crimes in Palestinian territories. Established in 2002, the ICC prosecutes genocide, war crimes, and crimes against humanity, relying on member states to enforce its arrest warrants as it does not possess its own police force.
The sanctions echo previous US actions against ICC officials for investigating alleged crimes linked to US military operations in Afghanistan.
Source: EUPAC
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