Trump confirms US sanctions against The Hague Criminal Court

 The International Criminal Court in The Hague wants to investigate possible war crimes in Afghanistan, including by American soldiers. The US president has issued sanctions against the court's staff to prevent this.

On Thursday, June 11, US President Donald Trump issued an order imposing sanctions on officials of the International Criminal Court in The Hague.

He threatened officials of this high international court that they would be subject to economic sanctions from the United States if they investigated the performance of American soldiers in Afghanistan without Washington's consent.

The White House announced that the assets of the officials of the international court in the United States will be frozen under this order. In this order, the President of the United States also approved restrictions on the issuance of visas to enter the United States for these officials and their dependents.

The ruling states that “the United States will take all necessary measures to protect its citizens and allies from unlawful harassment by this court.”

Background of research on Afghanistan

The reason for the investigation is the possibility of war crimes in Afghanistan. The International Criminal Court in The Hague announced in March this year (about three months ago) in a ruling that investigations into the possibility of war crimes in Afghanistan could also be conducted against employees of the US security agency, the CIA. The prosecutor of the court also announced that it may formally investigate possible war crimes in secret prisons of the US armed forces outside Afghanistan.

Fatou Bensouda, the chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court in The Hague, had requested the authorization of judicial proceedings against those responsible for torture, arbitrary killings, sexual violence and other war crimes since the start of the war in Afghanistan in 2002.

In the case of investigating war crimes in Afghanistan, Taliban forces, Afghan government soldiers, and US military forces in the country have been accused of committing war crimes against civilians in Afghanistan.

 Counter-threat

The US government had previously threatened officials at the Hague-based court with “retaliatory measures.” Trump had said that if they opened an investigation into American citizens over their actions in Afghanistan, officials at the international court would be barred from entering the US. Shortly after the threat, the US revoked Bensouda’s visa.

The International Criminal Court in The Hague was established in 2002. The court is tasked with investigating war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide around the world. The United States is not a member of the institution, does not recognize it and has opposed the court for years. The United States accuses the court of conducting “politically motivated investigations.”

Previous US administrations have also been critical of the Hague Supreme Court's investigations into American soldiers.

Source: DW