The Hague, Netherlands, Oct. 10 (Jiji Press)–The Assembly of States Parties to the Rome Statute that established the International Criminal Court called for the “immediate revocation” of U.S. sanctions against the Hague, the Netherlands-based institution on Saturday. “The escalation in unprecedented use of coercive measures is a regrettable attempt to impede the court and its personnel in the exercise of their independent judicial functions,” the assembly said in a statement. The assembly, the management oversight and legislative body of the ICC, consists of 21 of its 125 members, including Japan. The administration of U.S. President Donald Trump, which claims that the ICC is threatening the country’s sovereignty, added the court to its sanctions list Friday, after taking similar actions earlier against senior officials of the court, including President Tomoko Akane, a Japanese national. The United States, which is not an ICC member, apparently aims to dismantle the court. The statement underscored continued support for the ICC and called on the international community to “stand firm in defense of the court in the face of these unprecedented measures, and to demonstrate their collective resolve to safeguard the integrity of the international rule of law.” END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]
