The International Criminal Court has denounced new US sanctions against two more of its judges and two prosecutors, calling them a "flagrant attack" on its independence.
The four include Judge Nicolas Guillou of France, who is presiding over a case in which an arrest warrant was issued for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Canadian judge Kimberly Prost and deputy prosecutors Nazhat Shameem Khan of Fiji and Mame Mandiaye Niang of Senegal were also hit.
Prost was involved in a case that authorised an investigation into alleged crimes committed during the war in Afghanistan, including by US forces.
"These sanctions are a flagrant attack against the independence of an impartial judicial institution," the court said in a statement on Wednesday.
The ICC said it stood "firmly behind its personnel and victims of unimaginable atrocities".
It said it would "continue fulfilling its mandates, undeterred" and "without regard to any restriction, pressure or threat".
Four other judges and the court's prosecutor had already been placed under sanctions.
Undermining international justice
The UN also expressed concern over the US' decision to impose new sanctions on four judges of the ICC, warning that such measures "undermine the foundation of international justice."
The UN "firmly believes that the ICC is a key pillar of international criminal justice," spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said in a news conference after he was asked about Washington's latest decision to sanction four ICC officials, including a judge who authorised the arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former defence minister Yoav Gallant.
"We respect their work," Dujarric said, highlighting that the UN is "very concerned about the decisions taken to further hit ICC officials with sanctions under the order that came out from the United States."
Withdraw all sanctions
“France has learned with dismay of the new US sanctions against the ICC against four of its judges, including a French judge,” the Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
Paris urged Washington to withdraw all sanctions imposed under the presidential decree of Feb. 6, 2025, stressing that such measures “constitute an attack on the Court and all 125 States Parties to the Rome Statute and are contrary to the principle of judicial independence.”
ICC 'cornerstone'
Belgium also reiterated its opposition to US sanctions on the ICC, warning that the measures undermine efforts to uphold justice and accountability.
"Belgium once again strongly regrets the new sanctions imposed by the United States against judges and deputy prosecutors of the International Criminal Court," Foreign Minister Maxime Prevot said through the US social media company X.
"As with previous sanctions, Belgium reaffirms its unwavering support for the ICC, its independence and its staff," he added.
Prevot stressed that the ICC is a "cornerstone" of the rules-based international order, serving justice for victims of the gravest crimes on behalf of 125 states parties across all continents.
