President Donald Trump signed an executive order on June 11 taking punitive actions against the International Criminal Court (ICC) for their investigation into alleged war crimes committed by the U.S. military and intelligence services in Afghanistan.
Announced at a press conference by Secretary of State Pompeo, Secretary of Defense Mark Esper and Attorney General William Barr the new actions taken against the ICC include economic sanctions against any ICC investigators, as well as their family members, seeking to prosecute American service members. The chief prosecutor for the ICC, Fatou Bensouda, previously had her American visa denied by the Trump administration.
Connecting Vets first reported on the ICC investigation and efforts to push back against it in May.
Pompeo blasted the ICC during the press conference, calling it a "kangaroo court" that is "grossly ineffective and corrupt," alleging it could have American veterans arrested, tried, convicted and imprisoned while on vacation in Europe. The United States is not a signatory of the Rome Statute that created the ICC and has never consented to its claimed jurisdiction over U.S. service members.
Esper reiterated Pompeo's statements, saying, "the men and women of the Armed Forces will never appear before the ICC.”
He asked the ICC to turn over any evidence of criminal wrongdoing by U.S. service members so that they could be investigated by the military justice system. Under the ICC's own protocols, their role is to investigate and prosecute when local governments cannot, or will not, do the job themselves. In instances where the local government routinely holds courts martial and investigates allegations against their service members, the ICC has no jurisdiction.
Barr took jabs directly at lead prosecutor Bensouda when he spoke about corruption in the highest offices of the ICC, citing concerns raised to him by the Department of Justice. Barr also alleged, without presenting any evidence, that the ICC was being manipulated by Russia.
Want to get more connected to the stories and resources Connecting Vets has to offer? Click here to sign up for our weekly newsletter.
Reach Jack Murphy: jack@connectingvets.com or @JackMurphyRGR.
