Guterres Condemns U.S. Sanctions Against the ICC

UN Secretary-General António Guterres condemned U.S. sanctions against the International Criminal Court as an institution on Friday, warning they could impair its ability to carry out its mandates. His spokesperson reaffirmed support for the court’s independence and urged states to uphold their international-law commitments. Earlier, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu welcomed the sanctions and described the ICC as a political body threatening law-abiding democracies. Foreign ministers of Britain, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Canada, the Netherlands and Denmark also opposed the sanctions in a joint statement and warned of their impact on the court’s work.