[ad_1]
The United States threatened on Monday to arrest and punish the judges and other officials of the International Criminal Court if it was to accuse Americans who served in Afghanistan war crimes.
White House National Security Advisor John Bolton called the human rights body "unthinkable" and "downright dangerous" for the United States, Israel and other allies. "
"If the court comes after us, Israel or other US allies, we will not sit quietly," said Bolton.
He added that the United States was willing to impose financial penalties and criminal prosecution on court officials when they sued Americans.
"We will ban judges and prosecutors from entering the US We will sanction their funds in the US financial system and we will prosecute them in the US criminal system," he said.
"We will do the same for any company or state that assists an ICC investigation of Americans," he said.
Bolton made these comments during a speech in Washington at the Federalist Society, a powerful association of law curators.
– Detainee abuse survey –
Bolton pointed to the ICC prosecutor's request in November 2017 to open an investigation into alleged war crimes committed by the US military and intelligence officials in Afghanistan, particularly about the wicked treatment of detainees.
Neither Afghanistan nor any other government party to the Rome Statute of the ICC has requested an investigation, said Bolton.
He said the ICC could officially open the investigation "any day now".
He also cited a recent move by Palestinian leaders to have Israeli officials prosecuted by the ICC for human rights violations.
"The United States will use every means necessary to protect our citizens and those of our allies against unfair prosecutions by this illegitimate tribunal," said Bolton.
"We will not cooperate with the ICC, we will not assist the ICC, we will certainly not join the ICC, we will let the ICC die alone."
– "Threat" to American sovereignty –
The ICC's condemnation has added to the White House's rejection of many supranational institutions and treaties, whose president does not think it benefits the United States.
Bolton has also condemned the court's record since its official launch in 2002 and argued that most major nations had not joined.
He said he had received only eight convictions despite spending more than $ 1.5 billion and had not curbed atrocities around the world.
"In fact, despite ongoing investigations at the ICC, atrocities continue to occur in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Sudan, Libya, Syria and many other countries." he added.
But Bolton said the main objection of President Donald Trump's administration is that the ICC might have greater authority than the US Constitution and US sovereignty.
"In secular terms, we do not recognize any authority superior to the American constitution," he said.
"This president will not allow US citizens to be prosecuted by foreign bureaucrats and he will not allow other nations to dictate our means of self-defense."
John Bolton, US National Security Advisor, photographed in Jerusalem in August 2018, described the International Criminal Court as "downright dangerous"
