Trump slaps sanctions on Canadian International Criminal Court judge
Author of the article:
Article content
WASHINGTON — The Trump administration slapped a Canadian judge on the International Criminal Court with sanctions as the U.S. State Department continues to push back on the tribunal.
The State Department said Wednesday that Kimberly Prost was sanctioned for “ruling to authorize the ICC’s investigation into U.S. personnel in Afghanistan.”
Recommended Videos
tap here to see other videos from our team.
Trump slaps sanctions on Canadian International Criminal Court judge Back to video
tap here to see other videos from our team.
Prost has been a judge in the trial division since 2018, following a two-year stint as as Chef de Cabinet for the ICC president, according to the tribunal’s website. Before joining the court, she was the first Ombudsperson for the United Nations Security Council Al Qaida Sanctions Committee.
She also worked for the Canadian Department of Justice for nearly two decades.
The State Department also took action against other ICC officials from France, Fiji and Senegal linked it to the tribunal’s investigation into Israel’s actions in Gaza and the West Bank.
The department said French judge Nicolas Guillou was sanctioned for ruling to authorize the ICC’s issuance of arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Minister of Defense Yoav Gallant. Deputy prosecutors Nazhat Shameem Khan and Mame Mandiaye Niang were sanctioned for upholding the arrest warrants.
The State Department has sanctioned a growing list of ICC officials with similar actions since U.S. President Donald Trump signed an executive order targeting the international tribunal in February. The sanctions freeze any assets the officials have in U.S. jurisdictions.
The ICC previously condemned the actions of the Trump administration, calling it an attempt to undermine the independence of an international judicial institution.
Neither the U.S. nor Israel is a member of the international court. The State Department alleged it is a “a national security threat that has been an instrument for lawfare against the United States and our close ally Israel.”
“The United States has been clear and steadfast in our opposition to the ICC’s politicization, abuse of power, disregard for our national sovereignty, and illegitimate judicial overreach,” the State Department said.
Trump also targeted the ICC during his first administration over its probes into Israel and complaints over the war in Afghanistan. The first Trump administration took significant efforts to block preliminary investigations into the Afghanistan situation, which eventually paused the court’s probe.
Trump and other Republicans have criticized the court saying it could lead to warrants for American politicians, diplomats and military personnel. They say the ICC has no jurisdiction over Israel or the United States.
Trump’s initial sanctions on officials were rescinded by President Joe Biden in 2021 and the ICC resumed its investigation into Afghanistan the following year. The court in July issued warrants for two senior Taliban leaders as part of the investigation.
Postmedia is committed to maintaining a lively but civil forum for discussion. Please keep comments relevant and respectful. Comments may take up to an hour to appear on the site. You will receive an email if there is a reply to your comment, an update to a thread you follow or if a user you follow comments. Visit our Community Guidelines for more information.