UN Rights Chief: Global Issues
UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk blasts U.S.sanctions against international Criminal court (ICC) judges overseeing cases related to Afghanistan war crimes and arrest warrants for Israeli officials. Türk condemns the U.S. measures targeting judges—notably four female judges—as an attack on their judicial duties and a contradiction of the rule of law. The primary_keyword,the ICC,along with secondary_keyword war crime accountability and US sanctions,fuels the conflict. News Directory 3 reports on the UN’s staunch defense of the ICC’s independence alongside its call for immediate reconsideration of the sanctions. Discover what’s next as the international community reacts.
UN rights Chief Slams US Sanctions on ICC Judges
Updated June 08, 2025
The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, has strongly condemned the United States’ decision to impose sanctions on judges of the International Criminal Court (ICC). Türk’s statement follows an announcement by U.S.secretary of State Marco Rubio regarding measures targeting judges overseeing the 2020 case concerning alleged war crimes in afghanistan and the 2024 ICC arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant.
Türk specifically mentioned his deep concern over the sanctions against four female judges from Benin, Peru, Slovenia, and Uganda. These judges were involved in rulings related to the situations in Afghanistan and Palestine. He urged the U.S. government to promptly reconsider and withdraw these measures.
According to Türk,these sanctions represent an attack on the judges for carrying out their judicial duties.He stated that this action directly contradicts the principles of respect for the rule of law and equal protection under the law, values that the U.S. has historically championed. The International Criminal Court, war crime accountability, and US sanctions are at the heart of this dispute.
The ICC previously issued a strongly worded press release denouncing the sanctions as an attempt to undermine the independence of an international judicial body operating under the mandate of 125 States Parties. The Assembly of State Parties, the ICC’s management oversight body, also released a statement rejecting the U.S. sanctions, warning that they risk undermining global efforts to ensure accountability for serious international crimes and erode commitment to the rule of law.
What’s next
The situation remains tense, with the international community closely watching for any further developments and potential impacts on the ICC’s ability to carry out its mandate.