Japan criticises US over \u2018unfortunate\u2019 sanctions on ICC<\/p>\n
The US plans to impose sanctions on ICC President Tomoko Akane and a\nSenegalese lawyer on the prosecution team that sought an arrest warrant\nfor Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.<\/p>\n
TOKYO: In a rare criticism of its United States ally, Japan on\nWednesday (Aug 19) described Washington\u2019s decision to impose sanctions\non the International Criminal Court\u2019s (ICC) Japanese president and a\nsenior trial lawyer as \u201cvery unfortunate\u201d.<\/p>\n
The pushback came after Secretary of State Marco Rubio said he was\nimposing sanctions on Japanese judge and ICC President Tomoko Akane and\nAbdoulaye Seye, a Senegalese lawyer on the prosecution team that sought\nan arrest warrant for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.<\/p>\n
The US State Department had said on Jul 13 that \u201cno diplomatic option\nwill be off-limits in the campaign to dismantle the threat posed by the\nICC to Americans\u201d.<\/p>\n
The measures freeze any US assets held by those sanctioned and\nlargely shut them out of the US financial system, to which most\ninternational banks are closely connected.<\/p>\n
\u201cJapan has consistently supported the ICC, which is a permanent\ninternational criminal court, in its efforts to prosecute and punish the\nmost serious crimes of concern to the international community,\u201d Japan\u2019s\nforeign ministry said in a statement.<\/p>\n
The latest escalation in US President Donald Trump\u2019s campaign against\nthe Hague-based court puts Washington directly at odds with Tokyo over\nan institution that was set up in 2002 to prosecute war crimes, genocide\nand crimes against humanity. Japan joined in 2007.<\/p>\n
Japan, which relies heavily on US military power for its defence,\nrarely criticises Washington. The sanctions campaign has also put the US\nat odds with its European allies.<\/p>\n
ICC DEPLORES US MOVE<\/p>\n
The ICC on Wednesday said it \u201cdeplores\u201d the latest move by\nWashington, which took the number of sanctioned staff members to 13,\nincluding nine out of eighteen judges, both deputy prosecutors, the\nformer prosecutor and a trial attorney.<\/p>\n
\u201cThese sanctions are a flagrant attack against the independence of an\nimpartial judicial institution,\u201d it said.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen judicial actors are threatened for applying the law, it is the\ninternational legal order itself that is placed at risk. Threats and\ncoercive measures also impact the ability of victims to seek justice, as\nthey turn to the court when all other avenues have been exhausted,\u201d it\nsaid.<\/p>\n
At least five of the court\u2019s 125 member states have announced plans\nto withdraw in recent months amid escalated US pressure.<\/p>\n
Dutch Foreign Minister Tom Berendsen said on X that the Netherlands,\nwhich hosts the court, opposed the latest US sanctions and he invited\nAkane to \u201cdiscuss our continued support\u201d.<\/p>\n
Akane warned in December that US sanctions could \u201crapidly undermine\nthe court\u2019s operations in all situations and cases and jeopardise its\nvery existence\u201d.<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/japan-criticises-us-over-unfortunate-sanctions-on-icc-1787136679", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }