On June 6, 2025, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk demanded the US retract sanctions on four International Criminal Court (ICC) judges, labeling them “deeply corrosive” to justice. The sanctions, announced by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, target Solomy Balungi Bossa (Uganda), Luz del Carmen Ibáñez Carranza (Peru), Reine Adelaide Sophie Alapini Gansou (Benin), and Beti Hohler (Slovenia) for ICC probes into alleged US war crimes in Afghanistan and Israeli actions in Gaza. Here’s a breakdown.
Why the Sanctions?
Rubio accused the judges of “illegitimate” actions, citing ICC arrest warrants issued in November 2024 for Benjamin Netanyahu and Yoav Gallant over Gaza war crimes, and a 2020 Afghanistan probe involving US personnel. The US, not an ICC member, rejects its jurisdiction, with Rubio claiming the court infringes on US and Israeli sovereignty. The sanctions freeze any US-based assets of the judges and bar their financial dealings with Americans.
UN and ICC Response
Türk called the measures an attack on judicial independence, urging their “prompt withdrawal” as contrary to US values of rule of law. The ICC condemned the sanctions as undermining its work for “millions of victims” across 16 investigations, including Ukraine and Sudan. X posts, like @SHAFAQNEWSENG, reflect global outrage, with the EU and UN echoing Türk’s call.
Why It Matters
The ICC, with 125 member states, prosecutes genocide, war crimes, and crimes against humanity. Sanctions disrupt its operations, with Human Rights Watch warning they harm victims globally, mirroring Russia’s tactics against the ICC. Netanyahu praised the US move, while the court vows to continue undeterred. The sanctions follow Trump’s February 2025 executive order targeting ICC Prosecutor Karim Khan
