International Criminal Court Affirms Continuation of Its Work with Independence and Neutrality Despite Challenges
صورة: وكالة الأنباء الكويتية (كونا)
ICC President Tomoko Akane affirmed the continuation of work with independence despite US sanctions, while confirming arrest warrants for Netanyahu and Gallant, and condemning Putin and Ali Abdulrahman.
Translated by Qiyas from كونا — Original source
New York, Nov 2 (KUNA) – President of the International Criminal Court (ICC) Judge Tomoko Akane affirmed on Monday that the Court will continue to carry out its mandate independently and impartially, based on law and evidence, to deliver justice to victims of serious crimes despite the challenges facing its work. This came in a recorded statement delivered by Akane to the United Nations General Assembly during the presentation of the Court’s annual report, after she was unable to attend in person at the UN headquarters due to sanctions imposed by the United States on the Court and several of its judges.
Akane described the submission of the report via a recorded video message as an “unprecedented step” following a series of sanctions imposed on Court officials. She explained that these measures target an independent judicial institution established under an international treaty and entrusted by 125 states parties with investigating the most serious crimes of concern to the international community and prosecuting their perpetrators.
She noted that these sanctions undermine the principle of sovereign equality among states, upon which the United Nations is founded, and aim to obstruct the course of justice and prevent the Court from performing the tasks for which it was created.
In reviewing the Court’s activities during the reporting period, Akane pointed out that 32 outstanding arrest warrants remain unexecuted, affirming that the arrest warrants issued against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant “remain in force.”
She also addressed the Court’s decision regarding the failure of a state party to execute an arrest warrant for Russian President Vladimir Putin and surrender him while he was on its territory, in the context of the case concerning the situation in Ukraine. Additionally, she highlighted the conviction of Ali Muhammad Ali Abd-Al-Rahman, known as “Ali Kushayb,” for war crimes and crimes against humanity in the Darfur region of Sudan.
Akane stressed that the Court cannot carry out its mandate alone and that its future also depends on the support of the states that established it, calling for enhanced protection of the international rule-of-law-based system.
For his part, UN General Assembly President Dennis Francis, in opening the session, emphasized the importance of respecting international law and the rule of law as two fundamental pillars of the international system. He noted divergent positions among member states on issues related to the International Criminal Court, stressing the need to continue dialogue based on mutual respect. (End) E.S.T. / M.A.H.A.
