Palestinian Foreign Minister Riyad al-Maliki rejected Saturday attempts by the United States to threaten the Hague-based International Criminal Court (ICC), accusing it of obstructing justice.
“These are attempts to impede international justice and target the international law’s institutions and the multilateral system,” he said.
His remarks were in response to statements by US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and US President Donald Trump’s National Security Adviser John Bolton on revoking or denying visas to ICC personnel who try to investigate or prosecute alleged abuses committed by US forces in Afghanistan or elsewhere.
He denounced what he called “attempts of US domination by bullying and intimidation against the ICC to target its independence, transparency and credibility, disrupt international justice and undermine international law.”
Maliki also stressed that the ICC was established under a rules-based international order to ensure holding accountable all those who have committed the most serious crimes.
“It is unacceptable to target the court and its judges, and no threats or punitive measures against the court, its officials and its collaborators should hinder the course of justice for the victims,” he added.
The minister pointed out that Palestine is committed to supporting and defending the ICC and the principles and values set forth in the Rome Statute.
He reiterated Palestine’s consistent and unified position with Rome Statute members’ stances in ensuring accountability, combating impunity and making sure the ICC fulfills its mandate in serving justice.
Pompeo had declared that any wrongdoing committed by American personnel would be dealt with in US military and criminal courts.
In November 2017, ICC prosecutor Fatou Bensouda announced that she would ask judges for permission to open an investigation into alleged war crimes committed in the Afghan conflict, including by the US military.
Visa restrictions would apply to any ICC employee who takes or has taken action “to request or further such an investigation,” Pompeo stated.
Pompeo told a news conference in Washington the first visa denials had already been issued under the new regime but gave no figure of how many people might be targeted in total.
