US announces new sanctions on top ICC figures

"The Trump administration seeks a get-out-of-jail-free card for whomever it chooses," said Liz Evenson, international justice director at Human Rights Watch, during a press conference last week.Evenson's comments came as four leading US human rights groups sued the Trump administration over its campaign to dismantle the ICC, calling it unconstitutional. Human Rights Watch, ⁠the Open Society Institute, the American Friends Service Committee and the Center for Constitutional Rights said in their lawsuit filed in New York that the sanctions prevented them from working with the court to seek justice for genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity around the world.In June, three ICC judges also sued the administration in a New York federal court over sanctions imposed on them last year, arguing the measures were unlawful. Judges Kimberly Prost of Canada, Solomy Balungi Bossa of Uganda and Reine Alapini-Gansou of Benin said the sanctions were designed to exert extrajudicial pressure with the objective of punishing and coercing the judges.At the time, a White House official said that Trump had lawfully exercised his authority under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) in imposing the sanctions.Sanctions severely hamper individuals' abilities to carry out even routine financial transactions as any banks with ties to the US, or that conduct transactions in dollars, are expected to have to comply with the restrictions.Since Trump returned to office, his administration - spearheaded by Rubio - has taken a much more aggressive stand towards the court.