US Sanctions International Criminal Court Prosecutor

(Patria) - The United States on Wednesday imposed sanctions on the International Criminal Court (ICC) prosecutor Fatou Bensouda for investigating potential crimes by US forces in Afghanistan, announced Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.

Pompeo said that the head of the ICC's Jurisdiction, Complementarity and Cooperation Division, Phakiso Mochochoko, was also placed on the blacklist.

US President Donald Trump in July approved sanctions authorizing the freezing of assets and travel bans.

"Today we are taking the next step because the ICC continues to target Americans, unfortunately," Pompeo said.

He added that individuals and entities supporting Bensouda and Mochochoko risk becoming subject to sanctions themselves.

The State Department also restricted visa issuance for individuals whom Pompeo claims are participating in the court's attempt to investigate American personnel, but did not disclose who they are.

In March, the ICC granted Bensouda permission to investigate whether the Taliban, the Afghan army, or Americans committed crimes in Afghanistan.

Last year, the US revoked Bensouda's visa due to a possible investigation into its citizens. However, under an agreement between the United Nations and Washington, she was still allowed to travel regularly to New York to address the Security Council on cases sent to the court in The Hague.

The ICC is an institution established by the Rome Statute and began operating on July 1, 2002, Hina reports.

The Statute has been ratified by about 120 countries over which the court has jurisdiction.

These do not include the United States, China, Russia, India, Israel, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and Iran, but the ICC can still try Americans because the alleged crimes were committed on the territory of Afghanistan, a signatory to the statute.