US Sanctions ICC's Top Prosecutor

UPDATE Feb 14, 2025 12:00 AM CST

The US on Thursday followed up on President Trump's executive order targeting the International Criminal Court by sanctioning the court's top prosecutor. Karim Khan was was placed on the list of "Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons" who are not allowed to do business with Americans and whose entry to the US is subject to restrictions. Fatou Bensouda, Khan's predecessor, was also sanctioned by Trump's first administration, though then-President Biden later lifted those sanctions, the AP reports. The ICC's top prosecutor sometimes speaks to the UN Security Council, and it's unclear whether Khan will be allowed to travel to UN headquarters in New York to do so.

Feb 6, 2025 3:58 PM CST

Days after his meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House, President Trump plans to place sanctions on the International Criminal Court. Officials say the court, which issued an arrest warrant for Netanyahu in November, will be sanctioned for "improperly" targeting the US and its allies, reports Reuters. According to a fact sheet seen by NBC News, the order will include financial sanctions and visa restrictions against ICC officials who take part in investigations of US citizens or US allies. Their family members will also be sanctioned.

"The ICC was designed to be a court of last resort," the fact sheet states. "Both the United States and Israel maintain robust judiciaries." The 125-member court, based in The Hague, Netherlands, prosecutes international crimes including war crimes and genocide. Others on its wanted list include Vladimir Putin and Hamas leaders. The US, Israel, Russia, and China are not members. Sources tell Reuters that the court has been braced for possible sanctions for months and has paid salaries three months in advance.

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Trump also targeted the ICC during his first term, the BBC reports. In 2020, he sanctioned officials of what then-Secretary of State Mike Pompeo called a "kangaroo court" over its plans to investigate alleged war crimes in Afghanistan. The Biden administration lifted the sanctions in 2021. (More International Criminal Court stories.)