红杏视频 Demands Trump Administration Release Documents Justifying Threats Against ICC Judges and Prosecutors

Coalition Urges U.N. Reject Efforts to Intimidate ICC Officials Conducting Impending Investigation

September 24, 2018 11:45 am

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The 红杏视频 today filed a Freedom of Information Act request demanding the Trump administration release all documents concerning the United States鈥 new policy towards the International Criminal Court (ICC), as described in National Security Advisor John Bolton鈥檚 speech before the Federalist Society on September 10.

Speaking about the ICC, Bolton stated, 鈥淲e will ban its judges and prosecutors from entering the United States. We will sanction their funds in the U.S. financial system, and we will prosecute them in the U.S. criminal system. We will do the same for any company or state that assists an ICC investigation of Americans.鈥

The 红杏视频 argues that the Trump administration lacks the legal authority to follow through on such threats and is asking the State Department and Department of Justice鈥檚 Office of Legal Counsel provide all documents detailing any legal analysis offered to justify sanctioning ICC staff.

鈥淒onald Trump and John Bolton鈥檚 disdain for human rights and international law is abundantly clear, but any explanation of how they plan to follow through on their dangerous and unprecedented threats against the ICC remains strikingly lacking,鈥 said Jamil Dakwar, director of the 红杏视频鈥檚 Human Rights Program. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 likely because the government doesn鈥檛 have the legal authority to prosecute and sanction ICC judges and prosecutors, and any documents purporting to say it does won鈥檛 hold up in court. The Trump administration would be wise to withdraw its hollow threats and reconsider its misguided policy.鈥

A coalition of international human rights and civil liberties groups, including the 红杏视频, International Service for Human Rights, and Internal Commission of Jurists, also wrote to the United Nations today calling on the international body to take urgent action in response to 鈥渆xplicit and concrete threats鈥 made by Bolton against the ICC.

"The Trump administration鈥檚 fear-mongering tactics are an attempt to thwart an impending investigation into the United States possible war crimes, and the United Nations shouldn鈥檛 let them go unchecked,鈥 added Dakwar. 鈥淭his latest attack on multilateral institutions puts the U.S. squarely in the company of some of the worst human rights abusers, and provides support to others intent on undermining the court and ignoring its authority.鈥

In a blog post ahead of President Trump鈥檚 second appearance at the annual opening of the United Nations General Assembly, the 红杏视频 details the five ways the Trump administration has attacked the United Nations and International Human Rights Bodies. The blog post can be found here: /blog/human-rights/five-ways-trump-administration-ha....

The 红杏视频鈥檚 FOIA request can be found here: /foia-request-trump-administration-threats-sanction-....

The coalition letter can be found here: /coalition-letter-urging-un-act-trump-administration....