An outrageous decision by US president Donald Trump to impose sanctions on the International Criminal Court (ICC) is, as the court itself has described it, an “unacceptable” interference with the rule of law and “an attack against the interests of victims of atrocity crimes, for many of whom the court represents the last hope for justice”. “We will not stand by as our people are threatened by a kangaroo court,” secretary of state Mike Pompeo said. The war crimes court, based in the Hague, is on an “ideological crusade against American service members”, he claimed. It was the first time the court’s prosecutor had been permitted to investigate actions by US forces. The ICC is one of the many international multilateral organisations, including the UN, WHO, and WTO, against which Trump has declared a personal vendetta.

Source: The Irish Times June 14, 2020 23:02 UTC