ICC's bureau calls for revocation of US sanctions | NHK WORLD

ICC's bureau calls for revocation of US sanctions

The International Criminal Court's Bureau of the Assembly of States Parties has called for the immediate revocation of sanctions imposed by the US administration.

The assembly is the management oversight and legislative body of the ICC. Its bureau, made of representatives from 21 countries out of the court's 125 members, issued a statement on Saturday. It came a day after US President Donald Trump's administration announced sanctions on the ICC itself. The US had already imposed sanctions on individuals at the court, including its president, Akane Tomoko.

The statement said, "The escalation in unprecedented use of coercive measures is a regrettable attempt to impede the Court and its personnel in the exercise of their independent judicial functions."

It added that the bureau's members reiterate their resolve to uphold the principles of international justice and the independence of the judiciary, and to support the court and its personnel.