Criminal Justice Global Event Essay

The United States of America has threatened the International Criminal Court (ICC) with sanctions proclaiming that the latter prosecutes very many American servicemen for abusing detainees in Afghanistan. The attack was launched after the US National Security Adviser, John Bolton said that the ICC is illegitimate and there is a dire need to protect their citizens from such a proscribed institution (BBC). Notably, the US is one of the enormous nations that did not join the ICC, a Court that is intended to ensure prevailing justice globally. Therefore, the Court holds people who have committed genocide, war, and crimes against humanity responsible, and intervenes in circumstances where national authorities are unable to prosecute the same (BBC).

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The Court was established in 2002 under the UN treaty and 123 countries have approved its operation as at now, in the absence of the US for her exceptionalism doctrine, China, Russia, etc. (The Guardian). Unfortunately, the ICC has been unfairly treating the American servicemen basically on the grounds of a number of reasons. For example, Bolton has been vocal in his assertions citing that the Court's operations are controversial and that he particularly needs justice for his mother (BBC). The controversy basically relies on the allegations of the Court's prosecutor, Fatou Bensouda, proclaiming that the US servicemen and her intelligence personnel committed torture and related war crimes in Afghanistan. This was revealed in an ICC report in 2016, an issue that Bolton says is controversial because neither the Court nor any other government signatory asked for an investigation (The Guardian).

Still, the politicized Palestinian move to arraign Israel in ICC for abusing human rights in Gaza further reinforced Bolton's allegations (Labott & Clarke) Therefore, he argues that the move lacked checks and balances, was a threat to the US sovereignty and national security, and that the ICC's decisions are superfluous (BBC). This is because he believes that there is no any other judicial administration in higher authority than the US Constitution. Therefore, the US intends to bar the court's prosecutors from entering the country and target their funds in US banks as well as to prosecute them and their companies facilitating investigation of Americans (BBC).

Works Cited

BBC. BBC News. John Bolton threatens ICC with US sanctions, 2018. [Updated: 11 September 2018]. Accessed on 26/9/2018 from https://news.google.com/articles/CBMiMWh0dHBzOi8vd3d3LmJiYy5jb20vbmV3cy93b3JsZC11cy1jYW5hZGEtNDU0NzQ4NjTSAXlodHRwczovL3d3dy1iYmMtY29tLmNkbi5hbXBwcm9qZWN0Lm9yZy92L3Mvd3d3LmJiYy5jb20vbmV3cy9hbXAvd29ybGQtdXMtY2FuYWRhLTQ1NDc0ODY0P2FtcF9qc192PTAuMSN3ZWJ2aWV3PTEmY2FwPXN3aXBl?hl=en-KE&gl=KE&ceid=KE%3Aen

Labott, E. & Clarke, H. CNN Politics. US Threatens Sanctions against International Criminal Court will close PLO office in Washington, 2018. [Updated: September 11, 2018]. Turner Broadcasting System, Inc. Accessed on 26/9/2018 from https://news.google.com/articles/CAIiEMNH5bK2NCdZv5ovow6sxA4qGQgEKhAIACoHCAowocv1CjCSptoCMPrTpgU?hl=en-KE&gl=KE&ceid=KE%3Aen

The Guardian. ICC will continue 'undeterred' after US threats, 2018. International criminal court. Guardian News and Media Limited. Accessed on 26/9/2018 from https://news.google.com/articles/CBMiZWh0dHBzOi8vd3d3LnRoZWd1YXJkaWFuLmNvbS9sYXcvMjAxOC9zZXAvMTEvaWNjLXdpbGwtY29udGludWUtdW5kZXRlcnJlZC1hZnRlci11cy10aHJlYXRzLWpvaG4tYm9sdG9u0gGxAWh0dHBzOi8vYW1wLXRoZWd1YXJkaWFuLWNvbS5jZG4uYW1wcHJvamVjdC5vcmcvdi9zL2FtcC50aGVndWFyZGlhbi5jb20vbGF3LzIwMTgvc2VwLzExL2ljYy13aWxsLWNvbnRpbnVlLXVuZGV0ZXJyZWQtYWZ0ZXItdXMtdGhyZWF0cy1qb2huLWJvbHRvbj9hbXBfanNfdj0wLjEjd2Vidmlldz0xJmNhcD1zd2lwZQ?hl=en-KE&gl=KE&ceid=KE%3Aen