THE International Criminal Court (ICC) has expressed regret over the United States (US) announcement of further threats and coercive actions, including financial measures, against the court and its officials.
The ICC, in a statement by its spokesman, Fadi El Abdallah, said it firmly stood by its “staff and officials and remains unwavering in its commitment to discharging, independently and impartially, the mandate bestowed upon it by the Rome Statute and the states that are party to it”.
The court said the current sanctions by the US are parts of attacks which constitute an escalation and an unacceptable attempt to interfere with the rule of law and the court’s judicial proceedings.
“They are announced with the declared aim of influencing the actions of ICC officials in the context of the court’s independent and objective investigations and impartial judicial proceedings.
“An attack on the ICC also represents an attack against the interests of victims of atrocity crimes, for many of whom the court represents the last hope for justice.
The assembly’s President, O-Gon Kwon, also yesterday rejected measures taken against ICC and its officials.
Kwon’s statement reads: “On June 11, 2020, the Government of the United States announced new measures against the ICC. These measures are unprecedented.
They undermine our common endeavour to fight impunity and to ensure accountability for mass atrocities. I deeply regret measures targeting court officials, staff and their families.
“The court is independent and impartial. The ICC is a court of law. It operates in strict adherence to the provisions of the Rome Statute
