Philippine-based and international human rights organizations condemned the sanctions imposed by the United States (US) against the International Criminal Court (ICC), citing adverse impacts to poor countries.

The US sanctions, declared on October 9 by State Secretary Marco Rubio, bans transactions with the court to paralyze its resources and its ability to operate. The sanctions impose legal, financial, and travel restrictions to certain individuals and institutions.

“The Court will continue to fully discharge its mandate, with independence and impartiality, acting only on the basis of the law and the evidence, for the sake of the countless victims of grave crimes” said ICC President Tomoko Akane, urging state parties and the international community to stand against the obstruction of justice.

The administration of Donald Trump has previously sanctioned 13 prosecutors and judges of ICC, three Palestinian human rights organizations, and the United Nations special rapporteur on human rights in the Occupied Palestinian Territory Francesca Albanese. The sanctions escalated after the ICC looked into war crimes committed by US troops in Afghanistan in 2018 up to the ongoing genocide of the US and Israel in Palestine.

Read: US sanctions vs. ICC hinders victims’ quest for justice

“Such attacks on institutions that prosecute US and Israeli officials and troops committing war crimes and genocide are utterly condemnable,” said Cristina Palabay, secretary-general of Karapatan.

Former ICC Judge Raul Pangalangan, who chairs the independent Philippine Truth Commission, said that the Filipino families who suffered in Rodrigo Duterte’s so-called “drug war” will feel the impacts directly. “Victims’ lawyers have to be paid, and witnesses who fly to The Hague need protection when they come home. None of that happens if the money stops. A mother from a poor neighborhood in Manila, who has waited years to tell the court what happened to her son, may never get the chance.”

The ICC is prosecuting the case of former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte. The ICC Pre-Trial Chamber I found reasonable grounds to believe that Duterte is responsible as an indirect co-perpetrator for the crimes against humanity of murder when he was Davao City Mayor and, later on, President of the Philippines. His trial will start on November 30.

Read: Timeline: ICC case against Rodrigo Duterte

“The governments that pushed for these sanctions will hardly notice them. Victims in poorer countries, for whom this court is often the only place left to turn, will feel the impact right away,” Pangalangan added.

On October 8, The ICC Trial Chamber III released the public redacted version of their decision, declaring that Duterte is fit to stand trial based on the assessment of independent medical experts. The ICC also adopted measures for his participation in his trial.

Palabay condemned the Marcos Jr. administration for its repeated refusal to re-ratify the Rome Statute, calling the position an opportunistic stance.

“Although Ferdinand Marcos Jr. is so far benefiting from the ICC’s detention, investigation and prosecution of his political rival Rodrigo Duterte, the ICC’s task of going after war criminals puts Marcos Jr. in danger of being in the ICC’s crosshairs someday,” Palabay said. “He has not issued any strongly worded statements in support of the US position, but being a US lackey, it is only a matter of time before he echoes Trump’s vociferous attacks on the ICC.”

Human Rights Watch, Open Society Institute, American Friends Service Committee, and Center for Constitutional Rights filed a lawsuit in the US federal court seeking to have the sanctions struck down.

“The Trump administration has made clear its aim to destroy the ICC to shield US and Israeli officials from facing charges before the court. The ICC was created to ensure that no one, no matter how powerful, is above the law,” said Philippe Bolopion, executive director of Human Rights Watch. “Governments that value human rights and accountability should condemn this outrageous move and take swift action to protect the ICC, its staff, and all those who cooperate with it, starting with the European Union using its laws to mitigate the sanctions’ impact in the region.” (RTS, DAA)