Donald Trump has signed an executive order that authorises aggressive economic sanctions against the international criminal court (ICC), accusing the body of “illegitimate and baseless actions” targeting the US and Israel.
The order grants the US president broad powers to impose asset freezes and travel bans against ICC staff and their family members if the US determines that they are involved in efforts to investigate or prosecute citizens of the US and certain allies.
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/202 ... nction-icc
The ICC condemns the issuance by the US of an Executive Order seeking to impose sanctions on its officials and harm its independent and impartial judicial work.
The Court stands firmly by its personnel and pledges to continue providing justice and hope to millions of innocent victims of atrocities across the world, in all situations before it. We call on our 125 States Parties, civil society and all nations of the world to stand united for justice and fundamental human rights.
The White House faces four continuous years of theatre, directed by a chap who is playing the lifetime finale of his TV persona developed from the UK franchise "The Apprentice". This is entirely driven by ego on the part of a fantasist and may well destroy the standing of his nation in the process. I can only hope the consequence plays out in full, America is the only rogue nation on the planet, abetted for too long by the UK, and has been since the fall of the Soviet Union.
For clarity, the history of an International Criminal Court goes back over a hundred years. It's a culmination of the need to bring the directors of sovereign states to book when they overstep the bounds of fundamental human rights. No other process exists capable of restraining such excess.
President Trump complains of illegitimacy and of baselessness. Neither accusation holds water. The legitimacy of the court rests on international treaty:
As for baselessness, no country can be allowed to kill over 40,000 non-combatants, most of whom are women and children aged 0 - 14. There can be no defence of "collateral damage" to cover such carnage. It is essential that the crime should be investigated and established in court, and those responsible for ordering the action be exposed.On 17 July 1998, the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court was adopted by a vote of 120 to seven, with 21 countries abstaining. The seven countries that voted against the treaty were China, Iraq, Israel, Libya, Qatar, the U.S., and Yemen.
Israel's opposition to the treaty stemmed from the inclusion in the list of war crimes "the action of transferring population into occupied territory", a provision added during the Rome Conference at the insistence of Arab countries with the specific intention of targeting Israeli citizens.
The UN General Assembly voted on 9 December 1999 and again on 12 December 2000 to endorse the ICC.
Following 60 ratifications, the Rome Statute entered into force on 1 July 2002 and the International Criminal Court was formally established.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internati ... inal_Court
