US sanctions four ICC judges, deputy prosecutors over Netanyahu arrest warrant

The United States has sanctioned four International Criminal Court (ICC) officials, including a judge who authorised the arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defence Minister Yoav Gallant.

The Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) said on Wednesday that Nicolas Yann Guillou, Nazhat Shameem Khan, Mame Mandiaye Niang and Kimberly Prost have been added to the Specially Designated Nationals list.

The State Department said Guillou was sanctioned for authorising arrest warrants for Netanyahu and Gallant, while Prost faced penalties for approving investigations into US personnel in Afghanistan.

Guillou, a French jurist, serves on the ICC's Pre-Trial Chamber I that issued the warrants for Netanyahu and Gallant in November 2024. The warrants accuse both officials of war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.

'Judicial overreach'

Deputy prosecutors Khan and Niang were designated for "continuing to support illegitimate ICC actions against Israel," including upholding the warrants targeting Israeli leadership since assuming prosecutor office leadership.

The State Department said sanctions were imposed under Executive Order 14203, which targets "malign efforts by the ICC" and aims to impose consequences on those engaged in "transgressions against the United States and Israel."