UN rapporteur urges EU to use legal powers to protect ICC from Trump sanctions
The UN's top expert on judicial independence has called on the European Union to act to protect the International Criminal Court (ICC) from US sanctions.
In an interview with Middle East Eye, the UN special rapporteur on the independence of judges and lawyers Meg Satterthwaite condemned Trump’s executive order of 6 February, which sanctioned the ICC’s chief prosecutor Karim Khan over his investigation into top Israeli officials.
By issuing the sanctions, the US is "placing itself on the side of impunity when what we need to do is ensure accountability for the worst crimes," she explained.
The order came after a visit to the White House by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who is wanted by the ICC over alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity committed in Gaza since October 2023.