The Trump Administration has leveled sanctions against the International Criminal Court's chief prosecutor, who is investigating allegations that U.S. troops committed war crimes in Afghanistan. Human rights groups swiftly decried the sanctions as an attack on international justice.
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced the sanctions at a news conference on Wednesday.
The U.S. has never been a part of the ICC, which Pompeo called "a thoroughly broken and corrupt institution" and said "We will not tolerate its illegitimate attempts to subject Americans to its jurisdiction."
The sanctions are directed at Prosecutor Fatou Bensouda and the court's head of jurisdiction Phakiso Mochochoko who were both added on Wednesday to the Treasury Department's "Specially Designated Nationals" list. The designation freezes any assets they might have in the U.S. or subject to U.S. law.
The move builds on an executive order issued by President Trump against court officials in June.
https://www.npr.org/2020/09/02/908896108/trump-administration-sanctions-icc-prosecutor-investigating-alleged-u-s-war-crim
THIS IS WAR!