(Washington, DC) – The United States government has designated four International Criminal Court (ICC) judges for sanctions, under an executive order issued by President Donald Trump in February 2025.
Two of the judges, Reine Alapini-Gansou of Benin, also the court’s second vice-president, and Beti Hohler of Slovenia, sit in the court’s pretrial chamber. The others, Luz del Carmen Ibáñez Carranza of Peru and Solomy Balungi Bossa of Uganda, sit in the court’s appeals chamber. The administration had previously sanctioned the court’s prosecutor.
The following quote can be attributed to Liz Evenson, international justice director at Human Rights Watch.
“President Trump’s sanctions on ICC judges aim to deter the ICC from seeking accountability amid grave crimes committed in Israel and Palestine, and as Israeli atrocities mount in Gaza, including with US complicity. US sanctions on ICC judges are a flagrant attack on the rule of law at the same time as President Trump is working to undercut it at home. Sanctions are meant to put a stop to human rights violations, not to punish those seeking justice for the worst crimes. ICC member countries should speak out against the US sanctions and make clear they back the court’s independence and critical global mandate.”
