HRW urges ICC member states to address threats to the tribunal
Human Rights Watch made the appeal in a statement issued before the annual session of the ICC’s Assembly of States Parties in The Hague today.
It said the court has been under “extreme pressure” since ICC judges issued arrest warrants for Netanyahu, Gallant and Hamas’s Mohammed Deif. These include threats from US legislators who said they would impose sanctions on ICC officials and those cooperating with the court.
“ICC warrants, whether against Vladimir Putin or Benjamin Netanyahu, send a critical message that no one is above the law,” said Liz Evenson, international justice director at Human Rights Watch.
“ICC member countries should make a commitment during their annual meeting to take all necessary steps to ensure that the ICC’s crucial work for justice can continue without obstruction.”
International justice, future of humanity ‘under threat’, says ICC chief
The head of the International Criminal Court, Tomoko Akane, says the court faced “coercive measures, threats, pressure, and acts of sabotage”.
“We are at a turning point in history … International law and international justice are under threat. So is the future of humanity,” she said, addressing ICC judges in The Hague.
“The International Criminal Court will continue to carry out its lawful mandate, independently and impartially, without giving in to any outside interference,” she pledged.
The ICC has faced criticism in some quarters after judges issued arrest warrants last month for Netanyahu, his former defence minister and a top Hamas leader.
ICC judges said there were “reasonable grounds” to suspect the three men of war crimes and crimes against humanity over the Hamas October 7 attacks and the subsequent Israeli military operation in Gaza.
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