The United States imposes sanctions on the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court, Karim Khan, by order of President Donald Trump in relation to the accusations of that court against the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Minister of Defense Yoav Gallant.
United States sanctioned the prosecutor of the International Criminal Court on Thursday, fulfilling an order that President Donald Trump issued last week against the court for his Research on Israel.
The prosecutor, Karim Khan, was included in the list of “National designated and blocked people” of Washington. People and entities that are part of the list are prohibited from doing business with Americans and face restrictions to enter the United States.
The Court, based in The Hague, has the task of processing war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide. The United States has never recognized the authority of the ICC, and Trump has criticized the court for years. During his first mandate he sanctioned Khan's predecessor, Fatou Bensoud, penalties that were later withdrawn by the government of President Joe Biden.
After returning to the presidency last month, Trump signed an executive order on February 6 in which sanctions were imposed on the ICC.
He accused the Court of “illegitimate and foundation actions against the United States and our nearby ally, Israel”, referring to the arrest warrant issued by the CPI against the Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Minister of Defense Yoav Gallant for alleged alleged War crimes in the Gaza Strip. They deny the accusations, and Netanyahu has described the order as “absurd.”
Trump's order anticipated “tangible and significant consequences” for those responsible for the “transgressions” of the Court.
The president of the Court has condemned Trump's order, and United Nations deputy spokesman, Farhan Haq, said Thursday that the ICC is “a fundamental pillar of international justice.”
The Court works independently, but the UN was central to its creation, and the CPI prosecutor sometimes presents reports before the United Nations Security Council.
The Trump government did not reveal immediately if Khan will be allowed to travel to the UN headquarters in New York.
Meanwhile, the Court Supervision Agency has requested an UN internal control agency that investigates accusations that Khan tried to coerce an assistant to maintain a sexual relationship and groped it against his will, according to an investigation of ap. He has affirmed that “there is no truth” in the accusations.