120 rights orgs. urge Biden to respect ICC independence
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In a letter to Biden on Thursday, Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International underscored the ICC's role in delivering justice for grave international crimes.
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Exterior view of the International Criminal Court or ICC in the Hague, Netherlands, on April 30, 2024 (AP)
A coalition of 121 human rights and civil society organizations urged US President Joe Biden to respect and support the International Criminal Court's (ICC) independence and to resist threats of penalties on ICC staff.
In a letter to Biden on Thursday, Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International underscored the ICC's role in delivering justice for grave international crimes.
They asked the Biden administration to condemn recent threats by US politicians to penalize ICC staff if arrest warrants were issued for key Israeli leaders suspected of war crimes in the Gaza Strip.
According to the letter, acting on such calls would "gravely harm the interests of all victims globally and to the US government’s ability to champion human rights and the cause of justice, which are stated priorities of your administration."
It emphasized that full respect for the ICC is essential for it to give justice to victims, stating that a select approach to court rulings undermines the "credibility, and ultimately, the force of the law as a shield against human rights violations and abuses."
"We urge you to oppose any legislative efforts to undermine the ICC, and to make clear that regardless of its views on specific ICC investigations, the United States continues to support independent international justice mechanisms," the letter continued.
Earlier, Axios revealed that House Republicans are drafting a bill aimed at imposing sanctions on ICC officials as a "precaution" in response to the possibility of arrest warrants being issued for Israeli officials over war crimes in Gaza.
Biden on Monday strongly criticized the ICC's move to seek arrest warrants for Israeli officials, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, labeling it "outrageous".
Karim Khan, the chief prosecutor of the ICC, has received a stern warning from 12 Republican senators, threatening him with "severe sanctions" if he issues international arrest warrants for Israeli officials, the news website Zeteo reported.
ICC arrest warrants put international law to test: WaPo
The International Criminal Court's decision to file for arrest warrants against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Security Minister Yoav Gallant has rocked the world for the past few days, leaving them liable for arrest in the 124 member countries of the ICC.
This was a landmark decision for the court that has usually issued warrants for non-Western leaders and rarely for those backed by the West.
On Monday, Biden denounced the ICC decision and said that what was happening in Gaza "was not genocide." However, nations, including France and Germany, issued statements supporting the ICC's independence while others like Spain, Belgium, and Switzerland were more emphatic in their support.
Norway's Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide announced that should the ICC issue warrants, Norway will have to arrest Gallant and Netanyahu if they visit the country.
Khan stated that it was only right for the ICC to announce its actions against "Israel" given that those inside "Israel" weren't taking action to prosecute Netanyahu and Gallant.
"If we do not demonstrate our willingness to apply the law equally, if it is seen as being applied selectively, we will be creating the conditions for its collapse," Khan said, adding, "In doing so, we will be loosening the remaining bonds that hold us together, the stabilizing connections between all communities and individuals, the safety net to which all victims look in times of suffering. This is the true risk we face in this moment."
