Former ICC Prosecutor Condemns US Sanctions as 'Thuggish' and 'Bullying'
The Hague – Fatou Bensouda, the former chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC), has urged European Union member states to adopt a statute that would block US sanctions imposed on court officials, which she described as “thuggish” and “bullying.” Speaking at a meeting of the Rights Forum, a prominent Dutch non-governmental organization, Bensouda said the measures are “coercive attempts to interfere with the independent exercise of judicial and prosecutorial functions established under international law.”
In February 2025, the United States imposed sanctions on 11 ICC officials, including nine judges and the chief prosecutor, as well as three Palestinian organizations. The move came in response to the ICC’s 2024 decision to issue arrest warrants for members of the Israeli cabinet, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The sanctions include travel bans and asset freezes, which have locked judges out of the European financial system, making it impossible for them or their families to live normal lives.
Bensouda, who served as ICC prosecutor from 2012 to 2021, did not name the US directly but said: “To deploy such instruments against prosecutors, judges or court officials who are engaged in judicial functions in the pursuit of accountability for the most egregious crimes represents a profound conceptual distortion.” She added: “It is thuggish and inappropriate, and it should be called out for what it is. It transforms disagreement with legal process into crippling economic coercion to meet political ends. It is bullying, coercion and power politics through other means.”
She also criticized ICC-affiliated states for their response, accusing them of “largely slow and timid reactions, inactions and empty gestures of support, without tangible backing and pushback against coercive measures.” There is growing anger in some quarters that the Dutch government, as host to the ICC in The Hague, has not done more to protect the court’s officials.
Bensouda, who faced threats and pressure while pursuing investigations into Palestine, said Israel wanted those investigations stopped. She described feeling unsupported by ICC member states and warned that international justice is being sacrificed to political interests. She also reflected on accusations of double standards against the ICC and questioned whether leaders such as Netanyahu could ever be brought before the court.
Her remarks come amid ongoing debate over the independence of the ICC and the extent to which political pressures can influence its work. The call for an EU-wide statute blocking US sanctions has yet to be formally taken up by European institutions.