WASHINGTON (Diya TV) — The United Nations’ top human rights official has sharply criticized the U.S. government for imposing sanctions on four judges of the International Criminal Court (ICC), calling the move an attack on judicial independence and a threat to the rule of law.

Volker Türk, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, issued a statement Friday urging the United States to “promptly reconsider and withdraw” the sanctions. “I am profoundly disturbed by the decision of the Government of the United States of America to sanction judges of the International Criminal Court,” Türk said. “These measures run directly counter to respect for the rule of law and the equal protection of the law—values for which the U.S. has long stood.”

The U.S. sanctions, announced Thursday by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, target Judges Solomy Balungi Bossa (Uganda), Luz del Carmen Ibáñez Carranza (Peru), Reine Adelaide Sophie Alapini Gansou (Benin), and Beti Hohler (Slovenia). These judges have presided over ICC cases involving alleged U.S. war crimes in Afghanistan and recent arrest warrants for Israeli officials over the conflict in Gaza.

Rubio defended the sanctions, calling the ICC’s investigations into the U.S. and Israel “illegitimate and baseless.” He accused the court of abusing its power and overstepping its jurisdiction. “The ICC falsely claims unfettered discretion to investigate nationals of the United States and our allies,” Rubio said in a statement. “This dangerous assertion infringes upon the sovereignty and national security of the United States and our allies, including Israel.”

The sanctions freeze any property the judges may have in the U.S. and prohibit American individuals or businesses from engaging in financial transactions with them, according to the U.S. Department of the Treasury.

The ICC swiftly denounced the U.S. action, calling it “a clear attempt to undermine the independence” of the court. In a statement, the court said it “stands fully behind its personnel” and would continue its work “undeterred.”

The Assembly of States Parties, which serves as the ICC’s management and legislative body, also issued a statement Friday condemning the sanctions. It warned that such measures risk “undermining global efforts to ensure accountability for the gravest crimes of concern to the international community” and could erode the international commitment to the rule of law.

The sanctions follow the ICC’s decision in 2024 to issue arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant. The court alleges they bear “criminal responsibility” for potential war crimes and crimes against humanity committed during Israel’s military operations in Gaza. The ICC also issued a warrant for Hamas military chief Mohammed Deif, who was reportedly killed in an Israeli airstrike shortly afterward.

Israel and Hamas have both rejected the ICC’s accusations.

In addition, two of the sanctioned judges, Bossa and Ibáñez Carranza, previously authorized investigations into alleged war crimes by U.S. and Afghan forces in Afghanistan dating back to 2020. The other two judges, Alapini Gansou and Hohler, were involved in issuing the arrest warrants against Israeli leaders.

Netanyahu welcomed the U.S. response, thanking Rubio and President Donald Trump, who had previously imposed sanctions on ICC officials. “They have stood up for the right of Israel,” Netanyahu said.

The ICC, headquartered in The Hague, operates under the Rome Statute and has jurisdiction to prosecute individuals for genocide, crimes against humanity, and war crimes. The U.S. is not a party to the Rome Statute, though it has engaged with the ICC in various ways over the years.

While the Biden administration had lifted Trump-era sanctions against the court in 2021, the new measures mark a renewed escalation in tensions between Washington and the ICC over its pursuit of accountability in international conflict zones.