Trump’s sanctions against the CPI prosecutor interrupted court work

The order targets the chief prosecutor

The February ordinance prohibits Khan and other non-Americans among the 900 CPI staff to enter the United States, who is not a member of the Court. He also threatens any person, institution or business with fines and prison deadlines if he provides Khan with “financial, material or technological support”.

The sanctions are hindering work on a wide range of surveys, not only that of the leaders of Israel.

The ICC had investigated atrocities in Sudan and had issued arrest mandates against former Sudanese president Omar Al-Bashir for accusations that include genocide. This investigation stops even if the reports rise up new atrocities in Sudan, according to a lawyer representing the prosecutor of the ICC, Eric Iverson, who fights against the sanctions of the American courts. Iverson filed a federal complaint against the Trump administration, requesting protection against sanctions.

Iverson “cannot do, what I would describe as, the basic functions of the lawyer,” said Allison Miller, who represents Iverson in the pursuit.

The American staff members of the organization, such as Iverson, were warned by his lawyers that they are likely to stop if they return home to visit the family, according to CPI officials. Six senior officials left the court for concerns about sanctions.

One of the reasons for which the court was paralyzed is that it relies strongly on entrepreneurs and non -governmental organizations. These companies and groups have reduced the work on behalf of the court because they were concerned with being targeted by the American authorities, according to the current and former CPI staff.

Microsoft, for example, canceled Khan’s email address, forcing the prosecutor to move to Proton Mail, a Swiss email supplier, said CPI staff. His bank accounts in his country of origin in the United Kingdom were blocked.

Microsoft did not respond to a request for comments.

The staff members of an NGO playing an essential role in the efforts of the Court to collect evidence and find witnesses said that the group had transferred money to American bank accounts because they fear that it can be seized by the Trump administration.

The senior management of two other American human rights organizations declared that their groups had stopped working with the ICC. Senior staff from one told AP that employees had ceased to respond to the emails of legal officials for fear of triggering a response from the Trump administration.

The cumulative effect of these actions has led the members of the CPI staff to wonder openly if the organization can survive the Trump administration, according to CPI officials who spoke under the cover of anonymity for fear of reprisals.

One wondered if the court would pass over the next four years.

Trump alleged that ICC’s actions were baseless

Trump, a fervent supporter of Netanyahu, made his prescription for sanctions shortly after taking over the post, accusing the ICC of “illegitimate actions and without foundation targeting America and our close Israel ally”. Washington says the court has no jurisdiction about Israel.

Trump’s order said “CPI actions against Israel and the United States have created a dangerous precedent, directly endangering the current and former staff of the United States, including active members of armed services”. He said that the “malignant conduct” of the court threatens “the sovereignty of the United States and undermines critical work of national security and foreign policy of the United States”.

The White House did not respond to a request for comments.

Netanyahu rejected the allegations of the ICC as “absurd”, and the Knesset of Israel is considering legislation that would demonstrate a crime in court.

Israel launched its offensive after activists led by Hamas storm southern Israel in October 2023, killing around 1,200 people, mainly civilians and removing dozens of others. Hamas would hold about two dozen hostages.

Face dark humor

Inside the court, the staff members faced black humor, joking about how they cannot even lend Khan a pen or a risk appearing on the American radar.

This is not the first time that the ICC has attracted Trump’s anger. In 2020, the former Trump administration sanctioned the predecessor of Khan, Fatou Bensouda, and one of his deputies on the court’s investigation into alleged crimes committed in Afghanistan while the American army operated in the country.

President Joe Biden canceled the sanctions when he took office several months later.

Three proceedings are now in the process of staff of the American court and consultants against the Trump administration arguing that sanctions affect their freedom of expression. Earlier this week, Iverson, the lawyer investigating genocide in Sudan, obtained temporary protection against prosecution. But if other American citizens of the Court want similar insurance, they should provide their own complaint.

Meanwhile, the court faces a lack of cooperation from countries normally considered to be its most loyal supporters.

The ICC has no application and is based on the Member States. In the past year, three countries – including two in the European Union – refused to execute mandates issued by the court.

Also in recent months, judges have prohibited Khan from publicizing his requests for mandates in several surveys. The first ban on this type, imposed in February and obtained by AP, targeted mandates in the investigation of the Court on war crimes in Afghanistan. Subsequent orders, also seen by AP, include the ban on the publication of mandate requests in the investigation into crimes in the Palestinian territories.

The court was already faced with internal challenges. Last year, just a few weeks before Khan announced that he was asking for arrest mandates against Israeli officials, two court workers said British lawyer had harassed aid, according to the AP report.

Khan categorically denied the charges he groped and tried to force female aid in sexual intercourse. An investigation by the United Nations is underway, and Khan has since been accused of having retaliated against the staff who supported the woman, in particular in the district of several people who, according to him.

The writer Associated Press Mike Corde in The Hague, in the Netherlands, contributed to this report.

Originally published: May 15, 2025 at 8:35 a.m.