U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio sits in the Rayburn House Office Building on May 21, 2025, in Washington, D.C. John McDonnell/Getty Images
The United States has placed sanctions on a Canadian judge and three other judges who sit on the International Criminal Court (ICC), saying they authorized ICC investigations into U.S. personnel in Afghanistan.
The U.S. State Department said in an Aug. 20 statement that judge Kimberly Prost was sanctioned after authorizing an ICC investigation into potential alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity by U.S. soldiers in Afghanistan since 2003. The Appeals Chamber of the ICC decided unanimously to authorize the investigation in March 2020.
Prost previously served with the Canadian Department of Justice and the Chef de Cabinet for the president of the ICC for a two-year term, before being assigned as an ICC judge in 2018.
The United States also placed sanctions on ICC judges Nicolas Guillou of France, Nazhat Shameem Khan of Fiji, and Mame Mandiaye Niang of Senegal.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in the statement that the four judges had “directly engaged in efforts” to investigate, arrest, detain, or prosecute nationals of the United States or Israel “without the consent of either nation.”
Rubio also accused the ICC of politicization and abuse of power, as well as “disregard” for U.S. national sovereignty, and “illegitimate judicial overreach.”
“The Court is a national security threat that has been an instrument for lawfare against the United States and our close ally Israel,” he said.
Rubio added that the U.S. government will take all actions necessary to protect its troops and allies from the ICC’s “illegitimate and baseless actions.”
The U.S. had previously imposed sanctions on four judges in retaliation for the ICC issuing an arrest warrant in November 2024 for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Israeli defence chief Yoav Gallant for alleged war crimes. That U.S. order named Solomy Balungi Bossa of Uganda, Luz del Carmen Ibanez Carranza of Peru, Reine Adelaide Sophie Alapini Gansou of Benin, and Beti Hohler of Slovenia.
The ICC responded to the latest round of sanctions by calling them a “flagrant attack against the independence of an impartial judicial institution.”
The ICC said it stands behind its personnel and “victims of unimaginable atrocities,” and said it will continue fulfilling its mandate “in strict accordance with its legal framework as adopted by the States Parties and without regard to any restriction, pressure or threat.”
The ICC, established in 2002, has international jurisdiction to prosecute genocide, crimes against humanity, and war crimes against countries, or if a situation is referred to them by the United Nations Security Council. The ICC has opened an investigation into Israel’s actions in its war against Hamas in the Gaza Strip and its actions in the West Bank.
Former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said in November 2024 that Canada would abide by the ICC arrest warrants issued for Netanyahu and Gallant, saying Canada is a “founding member” of the ICC and will “abide by all the regulations and rulings of the international courts.”
Prime Minister Mark Carney has not said whether his government would abide by the ICC warrants.
The Epoch Times reached out to Global Affairs Canada but did not immediately hear back.