The International Criminal Court is interested in the actions of the US Army in Afghanistan: Washington responded with sanctions - ForumDaily
The article has been automatically translated into English by Google Translate from Russian and has not been edited.
Переклад цього матеріалу українською мовою з російської було автоматично здійснено сервісом Google Translate, без подальшого редагування тексту.
Bu məqalə Google Translate servisi vasitəsi ilə avtomatik olaraq rus dilindən azərbaycan dilinə tərcümə olunmuşdur. Bundan sonra mətn redaktə edilməmişdir.

The International Criminal Court is interested in the actions of the US Army in Afghanistan: Washington responded with sanctions

The United States has imposed sanctions against several senior officials of the International Criminal Court in The Hague, including its Chief Prosecutor Fata Bensuda and Director of the Department of Jurisdiction Fakiso Benchojo, writes Air force.

Photo: Shutterstock

From now on, they are banned from entering the United States, and their American assets will be frozen.

According to Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, the reason was illegal attempts to include American citizens in his jurisdiction.

The Hague-based International Criminal Court (ICC) is currently investigating the actions of US military personnel in Afghanistan. He is trying to find out if there were war crimes on their part.

Balkiz Jarrah, senior adviser to Human Rights Watch, condemned the US State Department’s decision as an outrageous perversion of the very idea of ​​US sanctions to punish human rights violators and kleptocrats, but instead target war crimes investigators.

As explained by Mike Pompeo, the sanctions were imposed on the basis of an executive order issued by President Donald Trump in June this year. The list can be expanded to include persons involved in actions against US citizens, if they continue.

The secretary of state described the ICC as an irresponsible, corrupt and politicized body posing as an institution of law.

On the subject: U.S. Senate report: Russian oligarchs secretly bought art to bypass sanctions

Following the promulgation of Trump's order, the ICC protested what the statement said, threats and coercion from the United States.

«Атака на Международный уголовный суд направлена против интересов жертв зверских преступлений, для многих из которых он является последним шансом на справедливость», — говорилось в заявлении.

Afghanistan has ratified the Rome Statute establishing the ICC, but has also opposed the investigation for fears that it could also target Afghan government forces.

What the ICC does

Unlike the International Court of Justice, also located in The Hague and dealing with interstate disputes, the ICC hears cases of individuals accused of genocide, war crimes, crimes against humanity and military aggression.

The United States has criticized the ICC since its inception in 2002.

In 2000, under President Clinton, they signed the Rome Statute establishing the ICC with the proviso that they will ratify it when they can fully appreciate the work of this body. In 2002, George W. Bush withdrew the American signature from the Rome Statute.

At the same time, Congress passed a special Act on the Protection of American Servicemen, which allowed the use of military force to release any US citizen or an allied state detained elsewhere on an ICC warrant.

The United States has entered into bilateral agreements with a number of countries not to extradite their citizens to the International Criminal Court,

Concurrence of views

Of the 193 UN members, 121 states, as well as the Palestinian Authority, have ratified the Rome Statute. The United Kingdom is one of them.

However, a number of large and influential countries, including China, India, Israel and Iran, do not recognize the jurisdiction of the ICC, believing that it infringes on their sovereignty.

Russia's position on this issue coincides with the American one.

Москва подписала Римский статут 13 сентября 2000 года, но не ратифицировала его, а в 2016-м Владимир Путин издал распоряжение «О направлении генеральному секретарю ООН уведомления о намерении Российской Федерации не стать участником Римского статута Международного уголовного суда».

Two days earlier, the office of the ICC prosecutor published a report on a preliminary investigation of the events in Ukraine, which recognized the existence of an armed conflict between this state and Russia, and the annexation of Crimea was determined by war and occupation.

On January 27, 2016, the ICC announced the start of an investigation into crimes allegedly committed during the Russian-Georgian war in August 2008.

Under the leadership of Fatou Bensouda, the ICC tried to initiate an investigation into Israeli actions against the Palestinians, which caused strong discontent from the United States. The Palestinian initiative to bring Israel's actions in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip to international court eventually led to the closure of the Palestinian Authority's diplomatic mission in Washington.

On the subject: UN condemns, US supports: why Israel needs settlements on the West Bank

В то же время суд отказался проводить расследование деяний, совершенных джихадистской группировкой «Исламское государство» (запрещена в России) в Ираке и Сирии.

In 2014, Russia and China blocked an attempt by the UN Security Council to refer the case of the conflict in Syria to the ICC.

The ICC can consider cases either on behalf of the Security Council, or on its own initiative, but only if the alleged crimes occurred on the territory of a country that has ratified the Rome Statute.

Some African countries, notably South Africa, The Gambia and Burundi, have expressed dissatisfaction with the fact that most of the ICC investigations concern events on the African continent, especially the issuance of an arrest warrant for crimes against humanity of former Sudanese President Omar Bashir.

В октябре 2016 года тогдашний министр информации Гамбии Шериф Боджанг назвал МУС «расистским судом, созданным для наказания и унижения цветных».

What Fatou Bensouda is known for

59-летняя юристка Фату Бенсуда — гражданка Гамбии, где ее деятельность подвергли критике.

During the reign of dictator Yaya Jammeh, marked by brutal persecution of the opposition, dissidents, LGBT people and those accused of witchcraft, she served as Solicitor General of The Gambia, then Attorney General and Minister of Justice. There were accusations from the residents of the Gambia that Bensouda turned a blind eye to the atrocities of the dictatorship.

At the same time, her supporters say that over the years of service with Jammeh, she did a lot to protect human rights, especially of women, even under the rule of a dictator.

She has held the position of Chief Prosecutor of the ICC since 2012. Her track record includes work at the UN Tribunal for the 1994 genocide in Rwanda.

Bensouda supported the indictment against the leader of the armed groups from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Thomas Lubanga, who became the first accused to be convicted by the ICC.

В 2014-м и 2019 годах суд не согласился с доводами прокурора — снял обвинения с президента Кении Ухуру Кеньятты и оправдал экс-главу Кот д’Ивуар Лорана Гбагбо.

In recent years, she has tried to expand the geography of the ICC's activities beyond Africa.

Critics of the ICC point out that over 20 years of work, it has issued four convictions, spending over a billion dollars on its maintenance. Supporters explain this by the fact that most of the persons against whom the ICC issues arrest warrants are hiding from international justice in places where they cannot be detained.

Read also on ForumDaily:

Rising Homelessness and Hunger Threats: US Tightens Rules for Asylum Seekers

US imposes sanctions against Russian institutions: what does Navalny have to do with it

'Letter of the 103s': Hundreds of American Politicians Call for Relations with Russia

Department of State offers $ 10 million for information on interference in the US presidential election

In the U.S. sanctions UN
Subscribe to ForumDaily on Google News

Do you want more important and interesting news about life in the USA and immigration to America? — support us donate! Also subscribe to our page Facebook. Select the “Priority in display” option and read us first. Also, don't forget to subscribe to our РєР ° РЅР ° Р »РІ Telegram  and Instagram- there is a lot of interesting things there. And join thousands of readers ForumDaily New York — there you will find a lot of interesting and positive information about life in the metropolis. 



 
1063 requests in 1,273 seconds.