Fearing US sanctions, ICC implements measures to protect its staff

Two sources say the ICC has implemented measures to protect its staff from potential US sanctions, including paying salaries three months in advance.

The International Criminal Court building
The International Criminal Court buildingReuters

The International Criminal Court (ICC) has implemented measures to protect its staff from potential US sanctions, including paying salaries three months in advance, two sources told the Reuters news agency on Friday.

This comes after the US House of Representatives voted earlier this month to impose sanctions on the court in response to its issuance of arrest warrants for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant.

The legislation, which was approved on January 9, targets any foreigner involved in investigating, arresting, detaining, or prosecuting US citizens or those of allied nations that are not ICC members, including Israel.

While the exact details of the sanctions remain uncertain, the ICC is reportedly preparing for significant financial repercussions, according to the anonymous sources who spoke to Reuters.

One source indicated that the court is backing up evidence amid concerns that US tech giant Microsoft might cease its collaboration with the tribunal.

In response to inquiries, the ICC stated via email to Reuters that it “would not comment on any internal measures that may have been taken to protect the organization and its staff.”

The report on the moves by the ICC comes after court officials told The Guardian that the ICC is afraid that potential US sanctions could "shut the court down entirely.”

“The concern is the sanctions will be used to shut the court down, to destroy it rather than just tie its hands," one of the officials said.

ICC Chief Prosecutor Karim Khan last week defended his decision to pursue an arrest warrant against Netanyahu, claiming that Israel had made “no real effort” to independently investigate claims that it committed war crimes.

“We're here as a court of last resort and... as we speak right now, we haven’t seen any real effort by the State of Israel to take action that would meet the established jurisprudence, which is investigations regarding the same suspects for the same conduct,” Khan claimed to Reuters.

“That can change, and I hope it does,” he added, speaking after Israel and Hamas agreed on a ceasefire in Gaza.