Threats over war crime probes slammed

THE HAGUE－The International Criminal Court, or ICC, on Thursday hit back at a decision by US President Donald Trump to authorize sanctions against any official investigating US troops over alleged war crimes in Afghanistan.

Trump said earlier that the United States would block any US property and assets of anyone from The Hague-based tribunal involved in probing or prosecuting US troops.

"These attacks constitute an escalation and an unacceptable attempt to interfere with the rule of law and the court's judicial proceedings," the court said in a statement.

After a long-running legal process, the ICC said in March that an investigation into the Afghan war could go ahead.

The Trump administration has been livid over the possibility of a probe into atrocities in Afghanistan, the longest-running war in US history.

But the ICC said the "unprecedented" sanctions "undermine our common endeavor to fight impunity and to ensure accountability for mass atrocities".

The court added: "An attack on the ICC also represents an attack against the interests of victims of atrocity crimes, for many of whom the court represents the last hope for justice."

Alleged killings, torture

ICC prosecutor Fatou Bensouda wants to investigate possible crimes committed between 2003 and 2014, including alleged mass killings of civilians by the Taliban, as well as the alleged torture of prisoners by military forces and, to a lesser extent, by US forces and the CIA. The ICC investigation was given the go-ahead in March.

The court decided to investigate after a preliminary examination by prosecutors in 2017 found reasonable grounds to believe war crimes were committed in Afghanistan and that it has jurisdiction.

In announcing Trump's executive order, US officials said the tribunal threatens to infringe on US national sovereignty.

"We cannot, we will not stand by as our people are threatened by a kangaroo court," US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said in announcing the move.

"I have a message to many close allies in the world. Your people could be next, especially those from NATO countries who fight terrorism in Afghanistan right alongside us," he said.

Foreign Minister Stef Blok of the Netherlands, a member of the Western security alliance, wrote on Twitter he was "very disturbed" by the US stance, saying his nation supported the ICC, which he described as "crucial in the fight against impunity".

Agencies Via Xinhua