The Trump administration escalated its fight against the International Criminal Court by imposing sanctions on four more court officials involved in work related to alleged Israeli and US war crimes.
In a statement Wednesday, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the State Department was designating Kimberly Prost of Canada, Nicolas Guillou of France, Nazhat Shameem Khan of Fiji and Mame Mandiaye Niang of Senegal for their work in the ICC “to investigate, arrest, detain, or prosecute nationals of the United States or Israel, without the consent of either nation.”
The sanctions were imposed under an executive order issued by President Donald Trump in February that authorizes punitive measures like sanctions and possible entrance bans on ICC personnel because of its “illegitimate and baseless actions targeting America and our close ally Israel.” The executive order was already used to sanction ICC chief prosecutor Karim Khan and four ICC judges.
According to a State Department fact sheet, Prost, an ICC judge “is being designated for ruling to authorize the ICC’s investigation into U.S. personnel in Afghanistan.”
Guillou, another judge, “is being designated for ruling to authorize the ICC’s issuance of arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Minister of Defense Yoav Gallant,” the fact sheet said.
“Deputy Prosecutors Shameem Khan and Niang are being designated for continuing to support illegitimate ICC actions against Israel, including upholding the ICC’s arrest warrants targeting Prime Minister Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Gallant since they assumed leadership for the ICC’s Office of the Prosecutor,” it said.
The ICC slammed the Trump administration for issuing the sanctions, warning the decision amounts to a “flagrant attack” on the institution.
“The International Criminal Court deplores the announcement of new designations for sanctions by the US administration,” the ICC said in a statement.
“These sanctions are a flagrant attack against the independence of an impartial judicial institution,” the ICC added. “The Court stands firmly behind its personnel and victims of unimaginable atrocities.
“The ICC will continue fulfilling its mandates, undeterred, in strict accordance with its legal framework as adopted by the States Parties and without regard to any restriction, pressure or threat.”
The ICC issued arrest warrants for Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Gallant in November 2024 for alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity.
Trump also signed an executive order authorizing sanctions and visa restrictions for members of the court during his first term in 2020, months after the ICC authorized a probe into alleged war crimes committed in Afghanistan by US and Afghan forces as well as alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity committed by the Taliban.
Netanyahu lauded the sanctions, calling the move a step towards “truth and justice.”
“This is a firm measure against the mendacious smear campaign against the State of Israel and the IDF, and for truth and justice,” Netanyahu said in a statement on Wednesday.
But France urged the US to drop the sanctions as it reaffirmed its “unwavering support” for the judicial institution.
“France calls on the United States to withdraw all sanctions,” France’s foreign ministry said in a statement. “France expresses its solidarity with the judges targeted by this decision and reaffirms its unwavering support for the ICC and its staff. Their role is essential in the fight against impunity.”
This story has been updated with additional details.
CNN’s Tamar Michaelis, Sana Noor Haq and Pierre Bairin contributed reporting.
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