Reuters reported that the U.S. House of Representatives voted to sanction the International Criminal Court (ICC) in protest at its arrest warrants for the Israeli prime minister and former defense minister over Israel’s campaign in Gaza. According to the article the House voted for the “Illegitimate Court Counteraction Act”.

Undermining justice
Human Rights in Finance published the article Are U.S. Sanctions Against the ICC Undermining Justice and Human Rights? and comments:

These measures, directed at officials of the International Criminal Court (ICC), have sparked a crucial question: are we witnessing the weaponization of financial power against justice itself?

According to the article the broader implication is that sanctions are losing their legitimacy:

The ICC case is a harbinger of a larger shift. Financial systems, once considered neutral, are increasingly being drawn into political conflicts. Do these developments threaten the trust and fairness that underpin democracies and global financial systems?

When financial institutions enforce politically motivated sanctions, do they not risk becoming instruments of unchecked power? For citizens, this could mean a loss of access to funds or property simply for being on the wrong side of political decisions. Does this erosion of neutrality undermine the fundamental rights of individuals?

The article ends with a call to action:

As global citizens, policymakers, and compliance professionals, HRIF.EU think we should ask ourselves:

• How can we resist the politicization of financial systems?
• What steps can we take to uphold the rule of law and protect fundamental human rights?

The answers to these questions will shape the future of international justice and global finance. Are we prepared to act before these shifts become irreversible?

Sanctions conference in the Netherlands
Today there was a conference on sanctions compliance and enforcement hosted by the Dutch government. It is interesting to know whether the ICC issue was addressed at this conference.

According to the Dutch government sanctions have the following purposes:

The Netherlands is helping to build a world in which countries can trust each other, and don’t need to fear each other. To achieve this, it’s important that every country complies with international agreements.
But what if a country doesn’t? We can respond by imposing sanctions, to show that undesirable behaviour has consequences.

What are sanctions?
Sanctions are measures taken against countries, organisations or individuals, to show them that we do not condone actions that are at odds with international agreements. Such actions include aggression towards other countries, violation of human rights or the proliferation of nuclear weapons.

Looks like the US is flouting such principles.

Addition at 21:30
Read also the press release of the Foreign Affairs Committee:

The Illegitimate Court Counteraction Act would sanction any individual working to investigate, arrest, detain, or prosecute American citizens or an official from an allied U.S. country, including Israel. The legislation would cover officials from NATO and major non-NATO countries, including Israel, Japan, and Taiwan.
As part of the sanctions imposed by the act, ICC officials and their immediate family members would be denied visas to enter the United States. ICC officials already in the country would have their existing visas revoked and face deportation.
The legislation covers not just ICC employees and their families, but also individuals providing “financial, material, or technological support” to the organization.

It suggests based on this act the Dutch will no longer be allowed to enter the US.

Addition 26 May 2025
The US has sanctioned the ICC and its officials and makes the ICC’s work impossible.