RETALIATION

U.S. Sanctions ICC Prosecutor Who Was Investigating Possible American War Crimes

ICC prosecutor Fatou Bensouda was looking into whether American forces committed war crimes in Afghanistan.

The United States has put sanctions on International Criminal Court prosecutor Fatou Bensouda for her investigation into whether American forces committed war crimes in Afghanistan, according to Reuters. Legal experts reacted with outrage, saying that the sanctions list is usually reserved for war criminals and terrorists, not internationally renowned lawyers. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said that any individual or entities that materially continue to support Bensouda also run the risk of exposure to sanctions. It isn’t the first time that the ICC has been blacklisted by the U.S. In June, President Trump authorized sanctions on Phakiso Mochochoko, the head of the ICC’s Jurisdiction, Complementarity and Cooperation Division, allowing for asset freezes and travel bans, Pompeo said. “Today we take the next step, because the ICC continues to target Americans, sadly,” Pompeo said at a news conference.