by Oui
Fri Jun 12th, 2020 at 02:39:10 PM EST
Is Trump's personal friend PM Mark Rutte staying quiet??
More below the fold ...
ICC Greenlights Afghanistan Investigation | HRW - March 2020 |
Trump targets ICC with sanctions after court opens war crimes investigation | The Guardian |
The Trump administration has launched an economic and legal offensive on the international criminal court (ICC) ...
Additionally, the administration declared on Thursday that it was launching a counter-investigation into the ICC, for alleged corruption.
The secretary of state, Mike Pompeo, national security adviser, Robert O'Brien, defence secretary, Mark Esper and attorney general, William Barr, gave a presentation on the decision at the state department, but then left without taking any questions.
"The Department of Justice has received substantial credible information that raises serious concerns about a long history of financial corruption and malfeasance at the highest levels of the office of the prosecutor," Barr said.
He referred to the ICC as "little more than a political tool employed by unaccountable international elites".
An attack on the ICC also represents an attack against the interests of victims of atrocity crimes, for many of whom the Court represents the last hope for justice.
Judges at the ICC gave the green light in March to an investigation into war crimes in Afghanistan, and began an investigation into crimes by Israeli and Palestinian forces in December. In his remarks, Pompeo made clear the US sanctions were also aimed at defending Israel.
"Given Israel's robust civilian and military legal system and strong track record of investigating and prosecuting wrongdoing by military personnel, it's clear the ICC is only putting Israel in his crosshairs for nakedly political purposes," Pompeo said.
