ICC condemns US sanctions on its prosecutor

Published: 4 September 2020

Last updated: 4 March 2024

ICC slams 'unprecedented' sanctions, which it says aim to 'interfere with the Court's judicial and prosecutorial independence,' over probe into alleged US war crimes in Afghanistan

THE UNITED STATES HAS imposed sanctions on International Criminal Court prosecutor Fatou Bensouda, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said, over her investigation into whether American forces committed war crimes in Afghanistan.

Pompeo also said Phakiso Mochochoko, the head of the ICC's Jurisdiction, Complementarity and Cooperation Division, had also been blacklisted under sanctions authorised by President Donald Trump in June that allow for asset freezes and travel bans.

"Today we take the next step, because the ICC continues to target Americans, sadly," Pompeo told reporters.

Pompeo also said that individuals and entities that continue to materially support Bensouda and Mochochoko would risk exposure to sanctions as well.

The State Department also restricted the issuance of visas for individuals Pompeo said were involved in the court's efforts to investigate US personnel, though he did not name those affected.

FULL STORY US imposes sanctions on ICC prosecutor Fatou Bensouda (Haaretz)

Photo: ICC Prosecutor, Fatou Bensouda (Eva Plevier/Reuters)