The European Union has strongly condemned the decision by the United States to impose sanctions on four judges from the International Criminal Court (ICC), including one of its own citizens, Beti Hohler from Slovenia.
The sanctions, which also target judges from Benin, Uganda, and Peru, were announced on Thursday, June 5, by U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio. He stated that the decision was based on an ICC investigation “driven by political motives and lacking merit” regarding alleged war crimes committed by U.S. forces in Afghanistan and by Israel in Gaza.
A second investigation led to arrest warrants being issued for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant. Judge Hohler reportedly supported this decision.
As a result, the four judges are now prohibited from accessing their assets and conducting business within the United States, and are banned from entering into agreements with American companies. These sanctions could hinder their daily judicial work.
Among the other sanctioned judges are Luz del Carmen Ibanez Carranza from Peru and Solomy Balungi Bossa from Uganda, who participated in the court’s decision to investigate allegations of war crimes by U.S. forces in Afghanistan. They were also involved in ICC cases concerning Israel.
