The Trump administration imposed sanctions Thursday on four International Criminal Court (ICC) judges, citing their roles in investigations into Afghanistan and the recent issuance of an arrest warrant for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Judges Solomy Balungi Bossa (Uganda), Luz del Carmen Ibanez Carranza (Peru), Reine Alapini Gansou (Benin), and Beti Hohler (Slovenia) were named in the sanctions, announced by Secretary of State Marco Rubio. He accused the judges of backing the ICC’s “illegitimate” actions against the United States and its ally, Israel.
The ICC strongly condemned the move, calling it a direct attack on judicial independence. Bossa and Carranza supported the Afghanistan investigation in 2020, while Gansou and Hohler authorized the arrest warrants against Netanyahu and other Israeli officials in connection with the Gaza conflict.