British PM expresses support for ICC authority, distances himself from Washington's sanctions

Britain supports the independence of the International Criminal Court (ICC) and does not plan imposing sanctions targeting the organization's officials.

This statement was given by a spokesperson for British Prime Minister Keir Starmer on February 7, Caliber.Az reports citing British media, in response to recent developments announced by the US White House. 

The spokesperson was asked about US President Trump's decision to authorize economic and travel sanctions against ICC workers investigating US citizens or US allies, such as Israel.

“Ultimately, that’s a matter for the US, the spokesperson said, reiterating that the UK "supports the independence of the ICC." He further pointed out, that the UK and US have taken "a different view on the ICC" over several administrations and recalling that the UK was a signatory to the Rome statute, which established the ICC, while the US was not.

As Caliber.Az recalls, Trump has been openly critical of the ICC since the court decided to issue arrest warrants in November targeting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former defense minister Yoav Gallant for alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza. Several countries party to the ICC have voiced their criticism to the court's decision, including France, Hungary and Argentina. 

By Nazrin Sadigova