(12 June, 2020): The State of Palestine expresses its grave concern over the US administration’s adoption of sanctions and punitive measures yesterday against officials of the International Criminal Court, their families, and anyone cooperating with the Court. This is a grave escalation of threats and intimidation against the Court, which the US administration has been engaged in over the past three years.
These attempts to exercise undue influence over Court proceedings are entirely unacceptable and constitute a threat to the principles of international justice and the rules-based order as a whole. The threats made and measures undertaken by the United States Administration are even more unacceptable coming from a permanent member of the Security Council, a body which has the power to refer situations to the Court to ensure accountability for perpetrators of egregious crimes.
The State of Palestine will work with States Parties to protect Court staff, including judges and their families, from any threats or attempts at coercion. We call for urgent measures in support of the Court to help it counter the illegal, provocative and dangerous measures adopted by the United States Administration, in line with the States Parties’ obligations under the Rome Statute, including to preserve the Court and its independence and to foster cooperation with it.
It is our collective responsibility, as States Parties, to protect the Court’s mandate to ensure achieving accountability for atrocity crimes and justice for victims of these crimes. This mandate must not be compromised or undermined by willful acts of bullying.