US launches effort to dismantle ICC's 'threat'

The United States Department of State announced on Monday that it had launched a campaign to put an end to "the threat posed by the International Criminal Court [ICC]" to American sovereignty, AzerNEWS reports.

The campaign will include diplomatic efforts to expand the number of nations that reject the ICC's authority, "increased scrutiny" of the countries that refuse to "reject the ICC’s false authority while relying on U.S. assistance," visa revocations and travel bans for ICC personnel, as well as sanctions against the court and its affiliated organizations.

The ICC "claims the authority to prosecute and even imprison American servicemen and officials operating on behalf of America's national interest. Americans never signed up for this, and all American presidents since the ICC's ratification have maintained that the ICC does not have jurisdiction over Americans. The ICC previously opened an investigation into U.S. servicemen and intelligence officers and has since refused to close these cases," the State Department underscored.