ICC judges stoic in face of US sanctions over Israeli war crimes cases

"Judges and prosecutors at the International Criminal Court (ICC) have been cut off by banks, credit card companies and tech giants like Amazon as a result of sanctions brought by the United States President Donald Trump administration over war crimes investigations into Israeli and US officials. The Associated Press news agency reported on Friday on the sweeping and punitive effect of the US sanctions on nine staff members including six judges and the chief prosecutor of The Hague court."

"The measures, introduced in an executive order by Trump earlier this year, block their access to basic financial services and everyday activities like online shopping and email, and prevent them from entering the US, subjecting them to the same restrictions as those brought against figures like Russian President Vladimir Putin, who nevertheless was allowed to visit the US state of Alaska for a summit with Trump in August."

"Your whole world is restricted, Canadian judge Kimberly Prost, one of the ICC officials targeted by the sanctions, told AP. The ICC, the world's permanent war crimes tribunal with 125 member states, was targeted with the restrictions in February, with the White House saying the move was in response to the illegitimate and baseless actions targeting America and our close ally Israel."

US sanctions have blocked access to banking, credit cards, online shopping, email and US entry for nine ICC staff, including six judges and the chief prosecutor. The measures stem from an executive order tied to war crimes investigations into Israeli and US officials and followed ICC arrest warrants for Israeli leaders related to the Gaza conflict. Neither Israel nor the US is an ICC member. Targeted individuals report vanished e-books, disabled devices and general uncertainty about basic services, while the sanctions mirror restrictions applied to other global figures despite selective travel exceptions.

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