Judges and prosecutors at the International Criminal Court (ICC) have been cut off from banks, credit card companies, and tech giants like Amazon due to sanctions imposed by the Trump administration in the United States. These sanctions are a response to war crimes investigations involving Israeli and U.S. officials.
The Associated Press reported on Friday that these U.S. sanctions have had a sweeping and punitive effect on nine ICC staff members, including six judges and the chief prosecutor.
President Trump introduced new measures earlier this year through an executive order. These measures prevent certain officials from using basic financial services and from doing everyday activities like online shopping and emailing. They also stop these officials from entering the U.S., putting them under the same restrictions as Russian President Vladimir Putin. However, Putin was able to visit Alaska for a summit with Trump in August.
“Your whole world is restricted,” said Canadian judge Kimberly Prost, one of the ICC officials targeted by the sanctions, in an interview with AP.
The International Criminal Court (ICC), the world’s permanent war crimes tribunal with 125 member states, was targeted with sanctions in February. The White House stated that the move was in response to what it described as baseless and illegitimate actions against the United States and its close ally, Israel.
The ICC has issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant. The court accused them of committing crimes against humanity and war crimes because of their actions during the ongoing conflict in Gaza.
Prost, who was named in the latest round of sanctions in August, expressed her frustrations in an interview with the Associated Press. She mentioned that she had lost access to her credit cards, noticed that purchased e-books had vanished from her device, and that her Amazon Alexa had stopped responding.
“It’s the uncertainty,” Prost said. “These are small annoyances, but they accumulate.”
She was sanctioned for her vote to allow the ICC to investigate alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity committed in Afghanistan, which included actions by U.S. soldiers and intelligence operatives.
“I’ve dedicated my entire career to criminal justice, and now I find myself on a list alongside those implicated in terrorism and organized crime,” she stated.
Luz del Carmen Ibanez Carranza, a sanctioned Peruvian judge, stated that the U.S. travel sanctions, which also apply to family members, prevent her daughters from attending conferences in the United States.
These sanctions impose significant fines and potential prison time on businesses and individuals that provide “financial, material, or technological support” to those sanctioned. As a result, many are withdrawing services from the targeted individuals.
“You’re never quite sure when your card isn’t working somewhere if it’s just a glitch or if it’s due to the sanctions,” said deputy prosecutor Nazhat Shameem Khan in an interview with the Associated Press.
Reports of Threats Related to Warrants
The sanctions are reportedly just one of several measures aimed at exerting pressure on the court regarding arrest warrants for Netanyahu and Gallant.
In July, the Middle East Eye (MEE) reported that the court’s chief prosecutor, Karim Khan, was warned that both he and the International Criminal Court (ICC) would be “destroyed” if the warrants were not withdrawn.
This threat allegedly came from Nicholas Kaufman, a British-Israeli defense lawyer at the court with ties to an adviser of Netanyahu. Khan noted that the Israeli leader’s legal adviser claimed he was “authorized” to make him a proposal that would allow the prosecutor to “climb down the tree,” according to the news website.
In August, Khan was warned by British leader David Cameron that the UK would stop funding the International Criminal Court (ICC) if it charged two people, Netanyahu and Gallant. In May 2024, U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham also warned Khan that he could face consequences if he tried to press charges against them.
In May, Khan’s office said he would take a break from his job while a UN investigation looked into claims of bad behavior against him. During this time, two other people helped do his work.
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