UN hearing warns US sanctions threat could cripple ICC

At a United Nations General Assembly event on Friday, a coalition of countries urged resistance to a United States threat to impose sanctions on the International Criminal Court (ICC) as an institution.

South Africa’s foreign minister, Ronald Lamola, warned that sanctioning the ICC itself – rather than only its senior judges – could fundamentally disrupt the court’s ability to operate and enforce its rulings.

The coalition, formed to defend international law, highlighted a growing pattern of challenges to the court, citing “open flouting of its tenets and rulings by Israel” as part of a broader array of threats.

Lamola’s remarks were delivered during a UN‑hosted session aimed at protecting the system of international law from such pressures, emphasizing the need for proper enforcement of ICC decisions.

The United States has previously signalled its disapproval of ICC investigations, and the latest sanction proposal marks an escalation in its attacks on the court.

Source: The Guardian. Photo: Yunus Emre Ilıca / Pexels.