Arabic version: قضاة المحكمة الجنائية الدولية يتحدون عقوبات ترامب في المحكمة الفيدرالية

Three International Criminal Court judges are suing United States President Donald Trump and his administration over sanctions imposed on them last year, arguing the measures were unlawful. The judges, Kimberly Prost of Canada, Solomy Balungi Bossa of Uganda, and Reine Adelaide Sophie Alapini-Gansou of Benin, said the sanctions were designed to exert extrajudicial pressure with the objective of punishing and coercing the judges.

According to Al Jazeera, the sanctions were imposed in an unprecedented retaliation over the ICC’s issuance of an arrest warrant for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and a past decision to open a case into alleged war crimes by U.S. troops in Afghanistan. As a result of the sanctions, the judges saw their U.S.-based property and assets blocked. U.S.-based entities were also forbidden from engaging in transactions with them, including through the provision of funds, goods, or services.

The lawsuit argues that the sanctions were against the law as they exceeded the scope of the International Emergency Economic Powers Act and were not based on a genuine national emergency or extraordinary threat. The judges contend that the sanctions are intended to punish them for their judicial decisions and to coerce them into prioritizing personal interests over legal obligations.

The judges describe the impact of the sanctions as tantamount to a “financial death penalty.” Due to the sanctions, Judges Prost, Bossa, and Alapini-Gansou are no longer able, among other things, to use credit cards; access banking services; use common online platforms, such as Amazon and Google; book travel; and in some cases, obtain health insurance. They argue that these restrictions hinder their ability to perform their judicial duties effectively and bar the submission of evidence in ongoing or future proceedings.