EU says sanctioning ICC undermines international criminal justice system

By Burak Bir

LONDON (AA) - The president of the European Council on Friday criticized US President Donald Trump’s executive order imposing sanctions on the International Criminal Court (ICC), saying it "threatens" the court’s independence.

"Sanctioning the ICC threatens the Court’s independence and undermines the international criminal justice system as a whole," Antonio Costa wrote on X.

It came a day after the European Council chief met Judge Tomoko Akane, the president of the ICC.

Following the meeting, Costa had said the EU remains committed to ending impunity and ensuring accountability for all violations of international law.

Trump on Thursday signed an executive order sanctioning the ICC and accused it of "illegitimate and baseless actions targeting America and our close ally Israel."

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant face arrest warrants issued by The Hague-based court in November last year for war crimes and crimes against humanity in the Gaza Strip. Israel has killed more than 47,000 people in Gaza since Oct. 7, 2023 and rendered it uninhabitable.