Name: Life under U.S. sanctions for ICC judges and prosecutors
Uploaded: 2025-12-03T07:50:39.396Z
Duration: 3 min 42 s
Description: U.S. sanctions impact ICC judges investigating war crimes – Canadian judge Kimberly Prost speaks out.

U.S. sanctions impact ICC judges investigating war crimes – Canadian judge Kimberly Prost speaks out.

The Hague

Judges and prosecutors at the International Criminal Court (ICC), including Judge Kimberly Prost, have described the significant personal and professional challenges resulting from U.S. sanctions. The sanctions, imposed for investigating or prosecuting U.S. and Israeli nationals, have led to immediate restrictions on financial services and daily life, as companies and banks avoid involvement due to American influence over global systems.

Despite these hardships, ICC officials remain committed to their work, emphasizing the importance of the court's independence and the support of its 125 member states. Judge Prost stated that efforts to pressure the court are futile, and the ICC will continue its mission to bring justice, undeterred by external threats or attempts to compromise its autonomy.

Life under U.S. sanctions for ICC judges and prosecutors

To find yourself on a list that's designed for those implicated in human rights violations, terrorism, organized crime, and you're now on that list for doing your job, my job to serve as a judge of the International Criminal Court. So that has an emotional impact, unquestionably, for all of us. The court officer, could you call the case, please? Last August, the U.S. State Department imposed its most recent sanctions on Judge Kimberly Prost and two other ICC judges for investigating, arresting, or prosecuting nationals of the U.S. or Israel. Years earlier, Prost was involved in a court decision to investigate American soldiers suspected of war crimes in Afghanistan. There's the wash of impacts of economic sanctions on your life. Immediately, you have no credit cards. It doesn't matter where they were issued or what bank, it's at the control of the Americans over the SWIFT system. It also cripples you in our modern world. How do you order an Uber? How do you get a hotel? How do you do basic transactions? Because banks aren't compelled outside of the United States to comply with these sanctions, but they take business decisions. They simply don't want to be involved. All of us are most shocked about is all the companies and services you depend on you don't think about Amazon was cut immediately, Alexa was dead when I went home. They're small matters in a way, but when you bring them together, it's really a crippling effect on your daily life, and it's very difficult. Basically saying to judges, you must do this or that, or else you'll be sanctioned. That to me is direct interference with our fundamental role. So don't touch United States citizens, soldiers. The point I would make on that is for all that's being the effects of these sanctions on our lives, and difficult as it may be, those efforts to say don't do this, don't do that in these cases are completely futile because I can assure you, and I speak on behalf of all my colleagues and those in the Office of the Prosecutor, we stand undeterred and will continue our work, which is about bringing justice in these cases in whatever situation. The United States has also threatened to impose sanctions on the entire court. Would that be the end of the court? This is a difficult time, but all the more important that we continue our work, not that it should in a way affect it, and that we double our efforts to protect what we have. What should the states do to protect the ICC? The strength of this court is the 125 states that support it. If we work together also to try and minimize the effect of these sanctions, work with industry. And are you worried about that as well, that countries don't dare to push against the United States? Well, I have to look at it very differently because of the role I play. So my focus is very much on being able to do my job and trying to discuss with states the space and the protection I need in terms of protecting the court and protecting our work from these actions. But there are concerns that maybe countries here at the ICC, European countries, may compromise even the independence of the ICC to make the United States happy. And I can assure you, we will not have our independence infringed. We will not bow to these measures. So whatever negotiations may go on, they will hit a wall.

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