Trump Hit With Lawsuit Over ICC Measures
Three judges of the International Criminal Court (ICC) have filed a lawsuit against United States President Donald Trump and his administration, challenging sanctions imposed on them.
The judges argue that the measures violate US law and undermine the independence of the world’s top war crimes court.
The lawsuit was filed on Wednesday in a federal court in Manhattan by Canadian judge Kimberly Prost, Ugandan judge Solomy Balungi Bossa and Beninese judge Reine Adelaide Sophie Alapini-Gansou.
According to the court filing, the sanctions were intended to punish the judges for decisions made in the course of their judicial duties and to pressure them into changing how they handle cases before the Hague-based tribunal.
The sanctions were imposed after the ICC issued an arrest warrant for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and pursued investigations into alleged war crimes involving US troops in Afghanistan.
In response, the Trump administration froze any US-based assets belonging to several ICC officials and barred American individuals and businesses from conducting financial transactions with them.
The judges said the restrictions have significantly disrupted their daily lives, making it difficult to access banking services, use credit cards, arrange travel, obtain health insurance and use major online platforms.
They also argue that the administration exceeded its legal authority by relying on the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA), insisting that the law was never intended to be used against independent judicial officers and that no genuine national emergency existed to justify the sanctions.
Established in 2002, the ICC prosecutes individuals accused of genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes.
Although the court has 125 member states, countries including the United States, China, Russia and Israel do not recognise its jurisdiction.
The lawsuit marks the latest escalation in the long-running dispute between Washington and the ICC, with the judges asking the court to declare the sanctions unlawful and block their enforcement.
