Trump administration imposes sanctions on four International Criminal Court judges
Illustrative photo: Depositphotos

The administration of US President Donald Trump has imposed sanctions on four judges of the International Criminal Court, in response to the ICC's investigation into alleged crimes committed by the US military in Afghanistan and the Israeli government in Gaza, Reuters reports .

Four judges from Uganda, Peru, Benin, and Slovenia were added to Washington's sanctions lists.

"As judges of the ICC, these four individuals actively participated in the ICC's illegal and baseless actions directed against America or our close ally, Israel. The ICC is politicized and falsely claims to have unlimited discretionary authority to investigate, indict, and prosecute citizens of the United States and our allies," said US Secretary of State Marco Rubio .

Rubio's statement refers to the ICC investigation into alleged war crimes committed by US forces in Afghanistan, launched in 2020, and the issuance in 2024 of an arrest warrant for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for alleged war crimes in Gaza.

Sanctions severely restrict the ability of individuals to conduct even routine financial transactions, as any banks affiliated with the United States or that transact in dollars must comply with these restrictions.

The ICC criticized the move, calling it an attempt to undermine the independence of an international judicial institution that provides hope and justice to millions of victims of "unbelievable atrocities."

  • On May 20, 2024, the ICC issued an arrest warrant for Netanyahu and the head of the Israeli Defense Ministry.
  • On May 16, 2025, it became known that the ICC's chief prosecutor, Karim Khan, would go on leave while an investigation into allegations of sexual harassment was conducted.