RPT - US Demonstrates Double Standards In Wanting ICC To Prosecute Russia - Expert

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 10th March, 2023) The United States resorts to a policy of double standards when it wants the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague to prosecute Russia for alleged war crimes committed by its army in Ukraine, since Washington itself will never allow the ICC to prosecute US citizens, a former German lawmaker and journalist, Armin-Paul Hampel, told Sputnik on Thursday.

On Wednesday, The New York Times reported that the US State and Justice Departments wanted to transfer evidence related to alleged Russian war crimes in Ukraine to the ICC, whose jurisdiction the US currently does not recognize, however, they had faced strong opposition from the Pentagon, arguing that it can create a dangerous precedent, which in the future could be used against the US soldiers.

"To understand the width of the hypocrisy of the US regarding the International Criminal Court in The Hague, one must understand that the US forbids the court to judge American citizens and the US army is even authorized to use military force to free Americans who would be detained by the Court. In September 2018 for example, the International Criminal Court in The Hague, Netherlands , began an investigation against American soldiers who served in Afghanistan: the procedure was directed at the US army and at the CIA. Immediately, Washington threatened to sanction the judges and prosecutors of the court if they started the procedure. So here again, we have the US applying double standards between themselves (the camp of the Good) and the supposedly evil empire (Russia)," Hampel said.

Hampel explained that under former US President Barack Obama and incumbent President Joe Biden, the US has nourished the idea that it can contribute to the court cases by providing information.

The State Department and the Justice Department have been in favor of the initiative, but the Defense Ministry has always prevented it. The expert doubts it will change now despite encouraging remarks from other departments in Washington.

"In fact, the relations between the United States and the International Criminal Court, created by the United Nations in 1998 is marked by total hypocrisy. The US does not recognize the court, neither do China, Russia or Israel for example, but the temptation is great for the Biden administration to give information to the Court in order to help the ICC judge Russia for its alleged crimes in Ukraine. America protects its soldiers and citizens but wants the court to judge Russian soldiers or Afghan fighters. How fair is that?" the former German lawmaker said.

Hampel is convinced that the US military will never risk the security of its servicemen to help the ICC in this particular case.

"One thing is certain: the highest ranks of the US military will oppose and prevent the transfer of evidence to the ICC, so as not to create a dangerous precedent for the United States, which in the future could be used against the Americans themselves," the expert said.

Russian officials have repeatedly rejected any involvement of the Russian army in war crimes in Ukraine and stated that the ICC investigation is rigged, and the court itself has no jurisdiction over the country.

Armin-Paul Hampel is a member of the right-wing populist party Alternative fur Deutschland (Alternative for Germany) and a freelance journalist, who was a member of the German parliament Bundestag from 2017-2021, where he was an official Foreign Affairs expert of his party.