The United States has announced new sanctions against four senior officials of the International Criminal Court (ICC), citing what it calls “illegitimate actions” against U.S. and Israeli nationals.
The move comes under Executive Order 14203, which gives the U.S. authority to penalize foreign individuals involved in ICC efforts to investigate or prosecute citizens of the United States or its allies without their governments’ consent.
Who Was Sanctioned
The following ICC officials have been added to the U.S. sanctions list:
Kimberly Prost – Judge, Trial Division
Nicolas Yann Guillou – Judge, Trial Division
Nazhat Shameem Khan – Deputy Prosecutor
Mame Mandiaye Niang – Deputy Prosecutor
According to the State Department:
Judge Prost was sanctioned for her role in approving an ICC investigation into U.S. personnel in Afghanistan.
Judge Guillou was sanctioned for authorizing ICC arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant.
Deputy Prosecutors Khan and Niang were sanctioned for continuing to support ICC cases against Israel, including upholding the arrest warrants issued for Netanyahu and Gallant.
What the Sanctions Mean
Under these sanctions, all property and financial interests of the four ICC officials that fall under U.S. jurisdiction are now frozen. U.S. individuals and businesses are also barred from conducting any transactions with them.
This extends to any companies or entities in which the sanctioned individuals hold a majority ownership stake. Essentially, they are cut off from the U.S. financial system and prohibited from accessing American goods, services, or funds.
Path to Removal
Those sanctioned are not permanently barred from seeking relief. Individuals may petition for removal from the U.S. sanctions list through the Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC). Petitions can be sent to [This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.](mailto:This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.), with additional guidance available on the State Department’s website. Photo by OSeveno, Wikimedia commons.
