ICC president accuses Trump of obstructing international justice

Summarised from 2 outlets · Updated 3 Nov, 00:14 · Archive

The president of the International Criminal Court has accused the Trump administration of trying to obstruct international justice through sanctions.

Judge Tomoko Akane of Japan, president of the International Criminal Court, has accused the Trump administration of attempting to obstruct international justice by imposing penalties on the tribunal. Speaking remotely to the United Nations General Assembly on Monday, Akane called on all 193 UN member nations to take concrete action in defence of the court.

The Trump administration has imposed a series of sanctions on ICC officials and targeted the entire court as part of what it describes as a campaign to dismantle the tribunal. Akane said her remote address was a result of what she called 'extraordinary' and 'unprecedented' US steps threatening judges, prosecutors and the ICC itself. The administration announced sweeping new sanctions on 9 October, the same day the Nobel Peace Prize was awarded to South African jurist Navi Pillay, a former ICC judge, for her efforts to promote peace and international law.

Akane noted the contrast, saying: 'On the one hand, global recognition of the value of international justice, on the other, an attempt to subdue the institution that embodies it.' The ICC was established in 2002 to prosecute war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide when countries are unwilling or unable to do so. The United States is not a party to the court and the State Department had no immediate comment on Akane's remarks.

How it is being reported

• ICC president hits back at Trump administration penalties in remote UN addressThe president of the International Criminal Court has accused the Trump administration of trying to obstruct international justice by imposing penalties on the tribunal and has vowed that it would not succeed.News4Jax · 2 Nov, 23:33
• ICC president hits back at Trump administration penalties in remote UN addressThe president of the International Criminal Court has accused the Trump administration of trying to obstruct international justice by imposing penalties on the tribunal and has vowed that it would not succeed.Clickorlando · 2 Nov, 23:33

In this story: Judge Tomoko Akane · Donald Trump · Marco Rubio · Navi Pillay · International Criminal Court · United Nations · United States · Israel

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