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The US government, led by new president Joe Biden, will “thoroughly review” US sanctions against the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague, a spokesman for the US State Department.
Biden’s predecessor Donald Trump imposed sanctions against the ICC because the prosecutor of the criminal court was investigating possible US war crimes in Afghanistan.
“As much as we disagree with the actions of the ICC concerning the Afghan and Israeli-Palestinian situations, the sanctions will be thoroughly evaluated as we consider next steps,” said the spokesman.
Three weeks ago, a federal judge in New York declared the presidential decree that imposed unconstitutional sanctions. The legislation also made cooperation with the ICC punishable, but according to the judge, the presidential order constituted an unauthorized restriction on freedom of speech.
“National security should not be a talisman used to fend off unwelcome claims,” she said.
The new US administration says it supports reforms “that will help the court better carry out its core mission of punishing and preventing war crimes and crimes against humanity,” said the State Department spokesman.
In addition, the US government is open to cooperation with the ICC “in exceptional cases”.
