WASHINGTON, DC – The United States has imposed new sanctions against officials of the International Criminal Court, citing a recent ruling blocking Israel’s efforts to halt the Gaza war crimes investigation.
Thursday’s sanctions targeted two judges: Georgia’s Gocha Rodkipanidze and Mongolia’s Erdenebarsuren Damdin.
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Secretary of State Rubio said in a statement that the judges were “directly involved in the ICC’s efforts to investigate, arrest, detain, and prosecute Israeli citizens without Israel’s consent.”
He also criticized Mr. Lorkipanidze and Mr. Damuddin for their “majority vote” on December 15 when the ICC rejected Israel’s attempt to suspend its war crimes investigation.
The United States is an ally of Israel and has supported the genocidal war in Gaza by continuing to provide billions of dollars in military and economic aid to the country.
“The ICC continues its politicized actions targeting Israel, setting a dangerous precedent for all nations,” Rubio said in a statement.
The sanctions are the latest in a series of economic restrictions imposed on ICC members and their associates by the administration of US President Donald Trump.
Critics warn that such actions could chill investigations around the world and have far-reaching implications for prosecutors, judges and even witnesses.
For example, in February, the Trump administration imposed broad sanctions targeting ICC officials and those who support the court’s investigations into the United States and its allies.
President Trump continued to issue individual sanctions against judges and prosecutors with whom he disagreed.
In June, four judges were sanctioned, two of them for participating in an investigation into U.S. military personnel in Afghanistan. The other two were involved in the decision to issue arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant.
Then, in August, the US expanded sanctions and took action against two more judges and two ICC prosecutors.
Even non-ICC entities have been subject to financial penalties as a result of their participation in ICC investigations.
Last September, Rubio announced that three non-governmental organizations, Al-Haq, Almezan Human Rights Center and Palestinian Human Rights Center, would also be sanctioned for supporting the ICC’s “investigations, arrests, detentions and prosecutions of Israeli nationals.”
In a statement Thursday, the court condemned recent U.S. actions as “a clear attack on the independence of an impartial judiciary.” Nevertheless, it pledged to carry out its mission despite US pressure.
“When judicial actors are threatened with the application of the law, the very international legal order is at risk,” the report said.
The sanctions came as part of a protest against the ICC’s November 2024 decision to issue arrest warrants for Prime Minister Netanyahu and Gallant on war crimes charges in Gaza.
The court also issued arrest warrants for several Hamas leaders who were subsequently killed in Israeli operations.
The Trump administration also pressured the court to formally close an investigation into the conduct of U.S. troops during their 20-year presence in Afghanistan.
The United States and Israel are not members of the ICC, and the Trump administration has argued that the court exceeded its jurisdiction by investigating U.S. and Israeli nationals.
“We will not tolerate abuses of the ICC’s power that violate the sovereignty of the United States and Israel and unjustly subject the people of the United States and Israel to its jurisdiction,” Rubio said Thursday.
However, the court maintained that it could investigate human rights violations committed by both countries within the borders of signatory countries, including the occupied Palestinian territories.
Sara Lee Whitson, executive director of the human rights nonprofit Democracy Arab World Now (DAWN), said in a post on social media platform X that Rubio is “coddling Israeli war criminals.”
She added that the court “should not wait to indict him for obstruction of justice.”
The foreign minister of the Netherlands, where the ICC is located, also condemned the move.
“International courts and tribunals must be free to carry out their mandate,” David van Weel said in a post on X. “We will continue to work with our partners to this end. We support the courts and their staff.”
Israeli officials have repeatedly praised the Trump administration’s sanctions. At least 171,152 Palestinians have been killed in Israel’s war in Gaza since October 7, 2023, when a Hamas-led offensive in southern Israel killed 1,139 people.
On Thursday, the United States also announced sanctions against 29 ships and their management companies for ties to Iran.
