The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, on Friday called on the United States to lift sanctions imposed on four judges of the International Criminal Court (ICC), describing the action as a threat to the rule of law and judicial independence.
“I am profoundly disturbed by the decision of the Government of the United States of America to sanction judges of the International Criminal Court,” Türk said in a statement. “I call for the prompt reconsideration and withdrawal of these latest measures.”
Türk warned that punitive actions against judges—whether in national or international jurisdictions—undermine core legal principles and democratic values.
“Attacks against judges for the performance of their judicial functions, at national or international levels, run directly counter to respect for the rule of law and the equal protection of the law — values for which the US has long stood,” he stated. “Such attacks are deeply corrosive of good governance and the due administration of justice.”
The United States on Thursday announced sanctions targeting four ICC judges. Two of them—Beti Hohler of Slovenia and Reine Alapini-Gansou of Benin—participated in proceedings that resulted in an arrest warrant being issued in November for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
The other two judges, Luz del Carmen Ibáñez Carranza of Peru and Solomy Balungi Bossa of Uganda, were involved in authorizing an investigation into alleged war crimes committed by US forces during the war in Afghanistan.
The US government’s decision has drawn international criticism, with legal experts and human rights advocates warning it could set a dangerous precedent for undermining the independence of international judicial institutions.
AFP
