Canada joins allies backing International Criminal Court as U.S. imposes sanctions
Canada, alongside France, Germany, Japan and five other allies, signed a joint statement supporting the ICC after U.S. sanctions cut the tribunal off from American financial services and technology.
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Canada signed a joint statement supporting the International Criminal Court on the same day the United States imposed broad sanctions against the tribunal, cutting it off from U.S.-based financial services, technology companies, and currency.
Canada joined Denmark, Germany, France, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom in the statement. "We strongly disagree with the sanctions," the signatories said, pledging "continued and unwavering" support for the court.
The U.S. sanctions represent what observers describe as a campaign to dismantle the tribunal. The sanctions were motivated by ICC investigations into the United States and into U.S. allies including Israel. Earlier this year, South African jurist Navi Pillay, who chaired a United Nations commission investigating events in Gaza, won the Nobel Peace Prize. That commission concluded Israel was responsible for genocide in Gaza, finding a specific intent to destroy Palestinians.
No statement from the U.S. government explaining its rationale for the sanctions or from the International Criminal Court responding to them was available in the material provided. No Canadian government official was quoted on the country's decision to sign the joint statement.
By the numbers
How many countries signed the statement supporting the ICC?
Nine countries signed the joint statement: Canada, Denmark, Germany, France, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom.
What did the U.S. sanctions prevent the ICC from accessing?
The U.S. sanctions cut the International Criminal Court off from American financial services, technology companies, and currency.
