THE HAGUE – The threats facing the International Criminal Court from permanent members of the UN Security Council “jeopardise its very existence,” President Judge Tomoko Akane said on Monday at an annual conference of the court’s 124 members.
“The Court has been subjected to attacks seeking to undermine its legitimacy and ability to administer justice and realise international law and fundamental rights; coercive measures, threats, pressure, and acts of sabotage,” Akane said.
The ICC is also “being threatened with draconian economic sanctions from institutions of another permanent member of the Security Council as if it were a terrorist organisation. These measures would rapidly undermine the Court’s operations in all situations and cases and jeopardise its very existence,” she added.
“It’s clear by any metric, by any benchmark, this assembly is at a pivotal time,” ICC prosecutor Karim Khan said in his speech at the opening of the conference.
“We are facing unprecedented challenges. We see civil society victims, survivors, and humanity at large, I think, have unprecedented expectations.”
The United States House of Representatives in June passed a bill to sanction the court in response to Khan’s request for an arrest warrant against Zionist Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former defence chief, Yoav Gallant.
The President Judge said the court firmly rejects any “attempt to influence (its) independence and impartiality. We resolutely dismiss efforts to politicise our function. We have and always will comply only with the law, under all circumstances.”
Despite not being a member of the court, the United States could still undermine the ICC diplomatically and politically, given its status as the world’s leading military and financial power.
