ICC President denounces attacks that threaten her existence

The president of the International Criminal Court (ICC) on Monday castigated attacks against the court, which finds itself the target of “threats, pressures, acts of sabotage” and treated as a terrorist organization, after its arrest warrants for the wars in Gaza and Ukraine. Addressing ICC members in The Hague, the court's president, Tomoko Akane, said the court faced “coercive measures, threats, pressure and acts of sabotage”without giving details. “We are at a turning point in history (…) International law and international justice are threatened. Just like the future of humanity”she added.

“The court is threatened with draconian economic sanctions by the institutions of a (…) permanent member of the Security Council as if it were a terrorist organization”she added, in an allusion without naming them in the United States. “If the court disappears, it will inevitably mean the collapse of all business (…) The danger for the court is existential”she continued. “The International Criminal Court will continue to fulfill its legal mandate, independently and impartially, without yielding to any external interference”she said. The ICC has drawn criticism after arrest warrants issued last month for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, his former defense minister and a Hamas leader.

The ICC judges said there were “reasonable grounds” to suspect the three men of war crimes and crimes against humanity for the October 7 Hamas attack and the subsequent Israeli war in Gaza. Mr Netanyahu called the decision anti-Semitic, while US President Joe Biden called the arrest warrants against Israelis “scandalous”. Some US Republicans have called on the Senate to sanction the 124-member ICC, but not the United States, Israel or Russia. The ICC also issued an arrest warrant for Russian President Vladimir Putin. Moscow responded by issuing its own arrest warrants for senior court officials. “Several elected officials are seriously threatened and are the subject of arrest warrants issued by a permanent member of the UN Security Council”observed Ms. Akane. He is “terrible” that countries seem “scandalized” when the ICC issues arrest warrants based on international law, Ms. Akane continued.