A senior member of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) today criticized United States sanctions on International Criminal Court (ICC) officials, calling to protect them from bullying.
“Imposing sanctions on the ICC Prosecutor, Ms. Fatou Bensouda, and Head of the Jurisdiction, Complementarity and Cooperation Division at the ICC, Mr. Phakiso Mochochoko, is an unprecedented act of aggression against the global rules-based order and a direct assault against the indispensable principle of accountability,” said Hanan Ashrawi, member of the PLO’s Executive Committee.
“These sanctions are unlawful and unacceptable and must be met with unequivocal international condemnation and opposition. ICC officials must not be punished, harassed, or persecuted for fulfilling their mandate of investigating war crimes and other grave violations of the Rome Statute. International officials must enjoy protection in discharging their duties of holding war criminals accountable,” she said in a statement.
“The US administration is escalating its attacks against multilateral cooperation and international law by various means like this latest announcement. This disruptive and concerted effort has also manifested itself at the WHO, which the US administration defunded and disrupted in the middle of a global pandemic. The administration has also played a negative role at the UNESCO and UN Human Rights Council as well as the United Nations, attempting unsuccessfully to turn into an extension of the White House on international affairs, in total disregard for international law and international cooperation,” said the PLO official.
“All States Parties to the Rome Statute, including Palestine, must rise to the occasion and defend the Court’s independence and ability to function without such destructive acts of political and financial extortion. This bullying must not succeed.”