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UNITED NATIONS (AP) — The U.S. sanctioned the International Criminal Court’s chief prosecutor Thursday, following up on President Donald Trump’s order last week targeting the court over its investigations of Israel.
The prosecutor, Karim Khan, was added Thursday to Washington’s list of “Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons.” Those on the list are barred from doing business with Americans and face restrictions on entry to the U.S.
The Hague-based court is tasked with prosecuting war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide. The U.S. never has recognized the ICC's authority, and Trump has criticized the court for years. His first administration sanctioned Khan’s predecessor, Fatou Bensouda, and the Biden administration subsequently lifted those sanctions.
After returning to office last month, Trump signed a Feb. 6 executive order imposing sanctions on the ICC. He accused the court of “illegitimate and baseless actions targeting America and our close ally Israel," citing the ICC's arrest warrant for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant over alleged war crimes in Gaza. They deny the accusations, and Netanyahu has called the warrant “absurd.”
Trump's order foreshadowed “tangible and significant consequences” for those responsible for the court’s “transgressions.” Khan was seen as a likely figure.
The court’s president has condemned Trump's order, and United Nations deputy spokesperson Farhan Haq on Thursday called the ICC “a fundamental pillar of international justice.”
The court is independent, but the U.N. was instrumental in creating it, and the ICC’s top prosecutor sometimes briefs the U.N. Security Council.
The Trump administration didn’t immediately say whether Khan would be allowed to travel to the U.N. headquarters in New York.
Meanwhile, the court's oversight body has asked a U.N. watchdog agency to investigate allegations that Khan tried to coerce a female aide into a sexual relationship and groped her against her will, according to an AP investigation. He has said there's “no truth” to the claim.
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Hussein reported from Washington.
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This story has been corrected to show that Trump’s executive order was dated Feb. 6, not Feb. 7.
