UN Examining Implications Of US Action Against ICC Personnel - Spokesman

The United Nations is studying the potential consequences of the United States' decision to deny visas to International Criminal Court (ICC) personnel, UN Spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said in a press briefing on Friday

UNITED NATIONS (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 15th March, 2019) The United Nations is studying the potential consequences of the United States' decision to deny visas to International Criminal Court (ICC) personnel, UN Spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said in a press briefing on Friday.

Earlier in the day, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced that the United States would impose visa restrictions and possibly economic sanctions on individuals linked to any ICC investigation into alleged war crimes committed by US personnel in Afghanistan or by US allies, particularly Israel, elsewhere.

"We have seen what the Secretary of State said this morning; we are taking a look at the implication," Dujarric said.

Last year, President Donald Trump told the United Nations General Assembly that the US would never surrender its sovereignty by supporting the ICC and would always regard it as an illegitimate global institution.

The ICC, which is located in The Hague, Netherlands, was formed to investigate and prosecute war crimes and other crimes against humanity when national governments were unable to act.

The United States has rejected the ICC since the body was first proposed during the Clinton administration, claiming it would be used by US enemies for politically motivated attacks against Americans serving overseas, especially US service members.

After the court's founding in 2002, Congress passed a law prohibiting US support for the ICC and also authorizing the government to use all necessary means to repatriate any American citizen detained by the court.