When international justice finds itself in Donald Trump’s crosshairs

Dear reader,

You may have missed the news, given the sheer number of shocking announcements US President Donald Trump has made in recent days. On Friday, October 9, just as the Nobel Committee was recognising Navi Pillay’s efforts towards peace, Washington announced sanctions against the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague.

This unprecedented decision sparked a wave of outrage within the international community in Geneva, a hub for the fight against impunity for the most serious crimes. The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, denounced the measure as “unacceptable”, pointing out that the absence of justice only “fuels violence and suffering” in conflicts around the world.

These sanctions, which target the Court itself, come on top of those already imposed on several of its judges. They will come into force in six months, at the end of the ultimatum issued by the Trump administration. In particular, the United States is demanding that the ICC withdraw the arrest warrants issued against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former defence minister, Yoav Gallant, who are accused of war crimes and crimes against humanity.

These measures will severely hamper the functioning of the first permanent international criminal court, particularly when it comes to financial transactions. This is despite the fact that the institution has been preparing for such a scenario for months by seeking to reduce its dependence on US companies.

The fact that the US announcement came on the very day the Nobel Peace Prize was awarded did not go unnoticed. Donald Trump has never made any secret of the fact that he believes he deserves the award. For now, he will have to make do with the peace prize awarded by the FIFA president. For the international community in Geneva, the honour bestowed upon Navi Pillay, former UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, sends a strong signal at a time when international justice is under greater pressure than ever.

Best regards,
Dorian Burkhalter

P.S.: If you find this newsletter useful, please feel free to forward it to anyone who might be interested – you can subscribe to it here. As always, you can write to me here: [e-mail]

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