Slovenia critical of US sanctions against ICC
Ljubljana, 7 February - The sanctions imposed by the US against the International Criminal Court (ICC) are a complete denial of history and they ignore law as a foundation of international relations, President Nataša Pirc Musar said in a press release on Friday, condemning the sanctions. She finds the US undermining international criminal law concerning.
The Hague, the Netherlands
The seat of the International Criminal Court (ICC).
Photo: Nebojša Tejić/STA
"It is concerning that the US is undermining the foundations of the international criminal law that it helped to build. The extent of the sanctions and their justification are nothing but a complete denial of history and ignoring law as a foundation of modern international relations," Pirc Musar said.
International criminal law started developing with the support of the US in 1946 at the Nuremberg trials where suspects accused of crimes against humanity during WWII were tried.
"Crimes against humanity are crimes that have no statute of limitations and that no one can be exempt from," the president said.
She expressed her support for the initiative of Rome Statute signatories to defend the ICC and its employees, including the Slovenian ICC judge Beti Hohler, to whom Pirc Musar said to "continue her work, despite the hurdles set by the global superpower".
The US executive order in question is sending a dangerous message into the world that ICC judges are sanctioned "just because they prosecute suspects for these crimes", the president said. The right message to the international community would be that the only assurance for individuals to not be persecuted is to not take part in committing crimes against humanity.
US President Donald Trump approved on Thursday sanctions against all ICC employees that prosecute, arrest or investigate Americans or allies from countries not signatories to the Rome Statute. Trump said processes against Americans and allies were a threat to the national security.
The ICC and the EU condemned the sanctions against the world's top criminal court, while Israel praised Trump for imposing them.