US: Biden revokes Trump's sanctions on ICC officials

By Ovunc Kutlu

ANKARA (AA) - US President Joe Biden on Friday revoked an executive order by his predecessor, Donald Trump, and ended sanctions and visa restrictions against personnel from the International Criminal Court (ICC).

Sanctions imposed by the previous administration on ICC Prosecutor Fatou Bensouda and Phakiso Mochochoko, the Head of the Jurisdiction, Complementarity and Cooperation Division of the Office of the Prosecutor, have been lifted, according to the State Department.

"These decisions reflect our assessment that the measures adopted were inappropriate and ineffective," it said in a statement.

The Biden administration, however, said it continues to disagree strongly with the ICC's actions relating to situations in Afghanistan and Palestinian.

"We maintain our longstanding objection to the Court’s efforts to assert jurisdiction over personnel of non-States Parties such as the United States and Israel," it said, adding that such concerns would be better addressed through engagement, rather than sanctions.

"Our support for the rule of law, access to justice, and accountability for mass atrocities are important U.S. national security interests that are protected and advanced by engaging with the rest of the world to meet the challenges of today and tomorrow,” it said. “We will continue to do so through cooperative relationships.”