The U.S. State Department announced new sanctions on Thursday targeting four judges of the International Criminal Court (ICC), escalating Washington’s response to recent ICC actions involving Israel.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated that Judges Solomy Balungi Bossa of Uganda, Luz del Carmen Ibáñez Carranza of Peru, Reine Alapini-Gansou of Benin, and Beti Hohler of Slovenia were sanctioned over what he described as the ICC’s “illegitimate and baseless actions targeting America or our close ally, Israel.”
According to a State Department fact sheet, Judges Bossa and Carranza were sanctioned for their prior rulings authorizing investigations into alleged war crimes committed by U.S. personnel in Afghanistan. Judges Gansou and Hohler were targeted for approving arrest warrants against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant related to Israel’s conduct in Gaza.
As a result of the sanctions, the judges are barred from entering the United States, prohibited from accessing the U.S. financial system, and restricted from engaging in transactions with U.S. persons or entities. The sanctions are expected to severely complicate the judges’ ability to conduct international financial business.
The move follows the Trump administration’s broader campaign against the ICC, which intensified after the court began pursuing cases against Israeli officials. On February 7, ICC Chief Prosecutor Karim Khan was added to the U.S. Treasury Department’s Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons List (SDN list), resulting in the freezing of all his U.S.-based assets. His UK bank accounts were also reportedly blocked, and he, along with his immediate family, was banned from entering the U.S.
The sanctions have had tangible effects on the ICC’s operations. Microsoft reportedly deactivated Khan’s email account, creating significant communication and logistical disruptions at the court.
Khan took a leave of absence last month amid a United Nations investigation into allegations of sexual misconduct, which surfaced shortly after he announced last May that his office would seek arrest warrants for Netanyahu and Gallant.