Afrasianet - Two sources familiar with the matter told Reuters that the first to be affected by US President Donald Trump's sanctions on the International Criminal Court (ICC) is ICC Prosecutor Karim Khan.
ICC prosecutor Karim Khan is the first to be affected by economic and travel-related sanctions approved by U.S. President Donald Trump to target the court over its investigation of U.S. citizens or U.S. allies, the sources said.
A senior court official and another source told Reuters that U.S. government officials told them that Britain's Karim Khan was named on Friday in an unpublished appendix to an executive order Trump signed on Thursday.
The official and the source asked not to be identified because of the confidentiality of the matter.
The sanctions include freezing assets in the United States of sanctioned persons and preventing them and their families from visiting the United States.
On Friday, the ICC condemned the sanctions, pledging to stand firmly by its staff and continue to "provide justice and hope to millions of innocent victims of atrocities around the world, in all situations they face."
Court officials met in The Hague on Friday to discuss the effects of the sanctions.
Widespread international condemnation of US sanctions against the International Criminal Court
The International Criminal Court, which opened in 2002, has international jurisdiction to prosecute genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes in member states or if the UN Security Council refers a position.
Dozens of countries warned on Friday that U.S. sanctions could "increase the risk of impunity for the most serious crimes and threaten to erode the rule of international law."
The 79 countries, which make up about two-thirds of the court's membership, said in a statement that "sanctions would severely undermine all situations currently under investigation as the court may be forced to close its field offices."
The White House announced on Friday that US President Donald Trump had signed a decree imposing sanctions on the International Criminal Court for what he saw as persecution of the United States and its allies, including Israel.
ICC vows to continue justice in response to Trump sanctions
The International Criminal Court (ICC) vowed on Friday to continue to deliver justice to "millions of victims of atrocities" in response to sanctions imposed by US President Donald Trump that drew condemnation from the United Nations and Europe.
Trump imposed the sanctions on the court for "initiating baseless judicial proceedings against the United States and Israel," a move hailed by Tel Aviv.
The decree, signed by Trump on Thursday and released by the White House, prohibits the entry into the United States of International Criminal Court officials, staff and personnel, as well as their family members and anyone who has assisted in the court's investigation.
The decree also notes that the assets of all such persons in the United States are frozen. The names of the targeted individuals were not immediately made public.
On November 21, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Netanyahu and former Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Galant on charges of "war crimes" in the Gaza Strip.
The ICC denounced the sanctions, stressing in a statement that it "stands firmly behind its personnel and is committed to continuing to deliver justice and giving renewed hope to the millions of innocent victims who have suffered atrocities in the world, in all cases brought to it."
Court President Tomoko Akanye also denounced Trump's decree as a "dangerous attack" on world order, saying in a statement that "Trump's decree is the latest in an unprecedented and escalating series of attacks aimed at undermining the court's ability to deliver justice in all cases."
"Such threats and coercive measures constitute serious attacks on the ICC States Parties, on the world order based on the rule of law and on millions of victims."
The United Nations asked Trump to reverse his decision, and UN Human Rights spokeswoman Ravina Shamdasani said: "We deeply regret the individual sanctions announced yesterday against court staff and call for the reversal of this measure."
The ICC member states warned that Trump's sanctions "increase the risk of impunity for the most serious crimes and threaten to undermine the rule of international law."
"As strong supporters of the ICC, we regret any attempt to undermine the independence of the court," the member states said in a joint statement.
The states warned that these sanctions "could threaten the confidentiality of sensitive information and the safety of the persons concerned, including victims, witnesses and court officials, many of whom are our nationals."
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Russia does not recognize the ICC and is not a party to it, and US sanctions against it "are not our business."
Dozens of ICC member states also reaffirmed their "unwavering support" for the ICC in the face of new US sanctions.
This came in a statement issued by 79 member states of the court after US President Donald Trump signed an executive order imposing sanctions against court staff for "unlawful and baseless acts" targeting the United States and its ally Israel.
"Such actions increase the risk of impunity for the most serious crimes and threaten to undermine the rule of international law, which is critical to strengthening global order and security," the joint statement said.
The statement was signed by 79 of the ICC's 125 member states, and the United States and Israel have never recognized the court's jurisdiction.
The court is "a vital pillar of the international justice system," the statement said, adding that U.S. sanctions could "severely undermine" ongoing investigations and lead to the closure of ICC field offices.
At dawn on Friday, the White House announced that President Donald Trump had signed a decree imposing sanctions on the International Criminal Court for what he saw as persecution of the United States and its allies, including Israel.
"The United States will impose concrete and significant consequences on those responsible for ICC transgressions, some of which may include withholding property and assets as well as suspending the entry of ICC officials, staff and agents as well as their immediate family members to the United States because their entry into our nation would be detrimental to U.S. interests," Trump said in the executive order.
The US president noted that the court's actions against the United States and Israel "set a dangerous precedent" by subjecting employees of both countries to "harassment, abuse and possible arrest."
On November 21, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Netanyahu and former Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Galant for "war crimes" in the Gaza Strip.
Source: Agencies