Trump administration sanctions ICC judges in unprecedented retaliation

In a historic move, President Donald Trump’s administration has imposed sanctions on four judges from the International Criminal Court (ICC), citing their involvement in cases targeting U.S. troops in Afghanistan and Israeli officials over alleged war crimes.

The Trump administration on Thursday imposed sanctions on four judges serving at the International Criminal Court (ICC), escalating tensions over the tribunal’s investigations into alleged war crimes committed by U.S. troops in Afghanistan and its arrest warrant for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced the sanctions, naming Judges Solomy Balungi Bossa of Uganda, Luz del Carmen Ibanez Carranza of Peru, Reine Adelaide Sophie Alapini Gansou of Benin, and Beti Hohler of Slovenia.

“As ICC judges, these four individuals have actively engaged in the ICC’s illegitimate and baseless actions targeting America or our close ally, Israel,” Rubio said in a statement. “The ICC is politicized and falsely claims unfettered discretion to investigate, charge, and prosecute nationals of the United States and our allies.”

The ICC strongly condemned the move, calling it an assault on the court’s independence. “This is a deliberate attempt to undermine an international judicial institution that stands for justice and provides hope to victims of unimaginable atrocities,” the court said in response.

Judges Bossa and Carranza have served on the ICC bench since 2018. In 2020, they were part of an appeals chamber that authorized a formal investigation into possible war crimes by U.S. forces in Afghanistan. Judges Alapini Gansou and Hohler played a key role in issuing the ICC’s controversial arrest warrants in November 2024 for Netanyahu, former Israeli defense minister Yoav Gallant, and Hamas commander Ibrahim Al-Masri over actions during the recent Gaza conflict.

This latest round of sanctions builds on earlier confrontations between the Trump administration and the ICC. In 2020, the administration imposed sanctions on then-ICC prosecutor Fatou Bensouda and one of her aides, also over investigations related to Afghanistan.

The sanctions will restrict the judges’ access to financial systems tied to the United States, making routine banking transactions difficult. However, the U.S. Treasury Department issued general licenses allowing wind-down transactions until July 8, provided payments are directed to blocked, interest-bearing accounts in the U.S.

Critics say the move risks further isolating the U.S. from the international legal community, while supporters argue it protects American sovereignty and allies from what they see as politically motivated prosecutions.

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