Washington has expanded sanctions against the International Criminal Court, targeting prosecutors and judges who pursued cases against American soldiers and Israeli officials, including Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
The United States has imposed sanctions on two judges and two prosecutors of the Hague-based court for their role in proceedings opposed by Washington.
According to a State Department statement on Wednesday, Judge Kimberly Prost was blacklisted for approving the ICC’s investigation into the conduct of US troops in Afghanistan.
Judge Nicolas Yann Guillou was sanctioned for issuing arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defence Minister Yoav Gallant on charges of war crimes in Gaza.
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Deputy prosecutors Nazhat Shameem Khan and Mame Mandiaye Niang were also blacklisted for upholding the warrants. Neither the United States nor Israel is a party to the ICC.
The ICC rejected the sanctions as “a flagrant attack against the independence of an impartial judicial institution, which operates under a mandate from 125 States Parties from all regions.”
US President Donald Trump imposed his first sanctions on the ICC in February, accusing the court of “illegitimate and baseless actions targeting America and our close ally Israel.” Netanyahu also denounced the arrest warrants, calling the ruling “anti-Semitic.”
In 2024, the ICC placed Netanyahu and Gallant on its wanted list after determining there were “reasonable grounds” that Israel had denied humanitarian aid to Gaza, where more than 60,000 people have been killed since 2023.
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