Trump Sanctions ICC Judges Over War Crimes Investigations

In a dramatic escalation of tensions between the U.S. and the International Criminal Court, President Donald Trump’s administration on June 5 sanctioned four ICC judges. The move comes in retaliation for investigations into alleged war crimes committed by American forces in Afghanistan, as well as the court’s recent arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant.

The sanctioned judges, Solomy Balungi Bossa (Uganda), Luz del Carmen Ibanez Carranza (Peru), Reine Adelaide Sophie Alapini Gansou (Benin), and Beti Hohler (Slovenia), played roles in key decisions that paved the way for these probes.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio condemned the court as “politicized,” accusing it of illegitimate overreach. The ICC, in turn, denounced the sanctions as an attack on judicial independence.

The episode adds a new chapter to Washington’s fraught relationship with the ICC, following similar sanctions imposed during Trump’s first term in 2020.