International Criminal Court Will Not Retreat from Bolton's Threats

On Tuesday, September 20, the International Criminal Court (ICC) announced that it will continue its work without any hesitation despite threats from John Bolton, the U.S. National Security Advisor. Bolton claimed on Monday that this institution 'threatens the independence and national security of the United States.' The ICC stated in a release that it was established based on a treaty ratified by 123 countries. The institution added that it only investigates and issues rulings on cases where the relevant countries have not taken judicial action or where their actions are not 'genuine.' In another part of its statement, it said, 'We will continue our activities based on these principles and the overarching principle of the rule of law without any hesitation.' Bolton's remarks on Monday were a reaction to the prosecutors' request for the judge to investigate allegations of war crimes committed in Afghanistan by government forces, the Taliban, the Haqqani network, and U.S. military and security personnel in the country. The judge is expected to announce his decision on this matter soon. Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif also criticized the U.S. opposition to the ICC on Tuesday. In a message on Twitter, he wrote, 'The U.S. government has threatened to sanction the ICC and even put its judges on trial in the U.S. Where is the disgust for this behavior?' On Monday, Bolton questioned the legitimacy of the ICC, which was established in 2002 to prosecute war crimes. Bolton stated, 'The U.S. will not cooperate with the ICC, and this institution is dead to us.' The relationship between the U.S. and this institution has always been difficult, but Bolton's remarks on Monday indicate a serious conflict. The U.S. National Security Advisor threatened that if the ICC investigates U.S. forces in Afghanistan, the U.S. will impose sanctions on the institution. Human Rights Watch stated that the U.S. government's actions to prevent ICC investigations into Afghanistan and Palestinian territories show that the U.S. government is more inclined to 'support human rights violators' than to 'support impartial justice.'