US Sanctions Against ICC Judges Draw Global Condemnation

The sanctions, enacted under Executive Order 14203, target Judges Solomy Balungi Bossa, Luz del Carmen Ibáñez Carranza, Reine Adelaide Sophie Alapini Gansou, and Beti Hohler. Rubio defended the move by labeling the tribunal’s actions as politicized and illegitimate. Two of the sanctioned jurists previously supported probes into U.S. military conduct, while the others approved arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former defense minister Yoav Gallant.

Legal experts and international bodies have denounced the administration's policy. Kenneth Roth, a former director of Human Rights Watch, stated the move constitutes obstruction of justice under Article 70 of the Rome Statute. Similarly, Volker Türk, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, expressed profound concern, noting that targeting judges for their judicial duties undermines the rule of law. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen also voiced regret, while Slovenia’s Foreign Ministry announced it would push for the activation of the E.U.’s blocking statute to protect its citizen and other affected personnel from foreign pressure.

This escalation mirrors actions taken during Trump’s first term, when former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo sanctioned senior ICC officials for investigating U.S. operations in Afghanistan. Despite the U.S. and Israel not being party to the Rome Statute, the court maintains jurisdiction over crimes committed within Palestinian territories. Amnesty International Secretary General Agnès Callamard described the sanctions as a direct attack on international justice, urging member states to provide full support to the court’s personnel and ensure that arrest warrants are upheld.