Richard Bennett, the UN special rapporteur on human rights in Afghanistan, has called for an immediate review and reversal of US sanctions imposed on four female judges of the International Criminal Court (ICC).
These judges have been involved in investigations related to Afghanistan and Palestine.
The UN high commissioner for human rights, Volker Türk, also criticised the US decision.
On Friday, the US State Department announced sanctions against the four ICC judges, citing their role in authorising an arrest warrant for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and approving investigations into alleged war crimes committed by US forces in Afghanistan.
Türk condemned the move, stating that sanctioning judges for performing their judicial duties undermines justice and the rule of law. “Attacks against judges for performance of their judicial functions, at national or international levels, run directly counter to respect for the rule of law and the equal protection of the law,” he said, urging an immediate reversal of the sanctions.
Bennett echoed Türk’s concerns, stating: “I join Volker Türk in his deep concern and his call for the prompt reconsideration and withdrawal of the US sanctions against four women judges at the ICC who had been part of rulings on the situation in Afghanistan and Palestine.”
The ICC has also criticised the US sanctions, describing them as an attempt to undermine the independence of an international judicial institution.
Following the Taliban’s takeover of Afghanistan, the ICC narrowed the scope of its investigation into alleged war crimes by US forces and shifted its focus towards crimes committed by the Taliban and the former Afghan government.
In addition to the Afghanistan case, the ICC last November issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, former defence minister Yoav Gallant, and Hamas leader Ibrahim al-Masri, for alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity committed during the Gaza conflict.
