US rejects ICC authority over Americans, calls court “illegitimate”

The United States has formally warned the International Criminal Court against prosecuting American citizens, threatening to use all necessary measures to secure the release of any detained American.

US Acting AG Blasts ICC as “Lawless,” Vows to Block Any Arrest of Americans

The United States has warned the International Criminal Court against prosecuting American citizens, calling any such attempt illegitimate, Gazette NGR reports.

In a June 29 letter to ICC President Tomoko Akane, Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche described the court’s attempts to assert authority over Americans as “illegitimate, unlawful and a direct affront to US sovereignty.” Blanche cited the 2002 American Servicemembers’ Protection Act, which repudiated ICC jurisdiction over US persons and authorised the president to use all necessary means to free any detained American.

Blanche accused the ICC of acting in an “increasingly lawless manner,” asserting jurisdiction over non-consenting countries and pursuing politically motivated investigations. He said the US would neither extradite nor transfer any American to the court, and would actively oppose other countries doing so.

The warning builds on earlier action by President Trump, who in February imposed sanctions on ICC Prosecutor Karim Khan, blocked his assets, and suspended his entry into the United States over what the administration described as baseless arrest warrants targeting Israeli leaders Benjamin Netanyahu and Yoav Gallant.