Rubio sanctions international criminal court judges for 'targeting' US and Israel

[BumRushDaShow]

Source: The Guardian

Thu 5 Jun 2025 16.04 EDT
Last modified on Thu 5 Jun 2025 16.05 EDT


The United States is sanctioning four judges from the international criminal court (ICC) for what it has called its “illegitimate actions” targeting the United States and Israel.

The secretary of state, Marco Rubio, announced the sanctions in a statement on Thursday. They target Solomy Balungi Bossa of Uganda, Luz del Carmen Ibáñez Carranza of Peru, Reine Adelaide Sophie Alapini Gansou of Benin and Beti Hohler of Slovenia.

Donald Trump ordered cabinet officials to draw up sanctions against the ICC after the court issued arrest warrants for the Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, and former defense minister Yoav Gallant. They were accused of overseeing an Israeli offensive during the Gaza conflict that caused famine and included the commission of war crimes.

Two of the sanctioned judges authorised the arrest warrants for Netanyahu and Gallant, and two authorised an ICC investigation into abuses by US personnel in Afghanistan.

Read more: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/jun/05/marco-rubio-sanctions-icc-judges-israel-gaza

[Lovie777]

1. WTF..............

[ananda]

2. What would the sanctions be precisely?

What would that mean?

[muriel_volestrangler]

3. US companies can't handle their money

As a result of today’s sanctions-related actions, all property and interests in property of the sanctioned persons described above that are in the United States or in possession or control of U.S. persons are blocked and must be reported to the Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC). Additionally, all individuals or entities that are owned, either directly or indirectly, individually or in the aggregate, 50 percent or more by one or more blocked persons are also blocked.

All transactions by U.S. persons or within (or transiting) the United States that involve any property or interests in property of designated or otherwise blocked persons are prohibited unless authorized by a general or specific license issued by OFAC or exempt. These prohibitions include the making of any contribution or provision of funds, goods, or services by, to, or for the benefit of any blocked person and the receipt of any contribution or provision of funds, goods, or services from any such person.

https://www.state.gov/imposing-sanctions-in-response-to-the-iccs-illegitimate-actions-targeting-the-united-states-and-israel/

which I think could mean Mastercard or Visa credit cards might be blocked, even in currencies in their own countries. Maybe accounts with things like Amazon.

[ananda]

4. Thank you

Much appreciated.

[muriel_volestrangler]

5. Only my amateur interpretation of what that page says

It is possible that local transactions can get round it somehow, but it wouldn't surprise me if the US government has always had Mastercard, Visa etc. write their contracts in each country in a way that allows the government to block transactions for actual criminals, now to be deployed against honest judges.

[Marthe48]

6. Their personal credit cards

Or Visa and Mastercard as entities the sanctioned judges own part of? Appreciate clarification.

[muriel_volestrangler]

7. I was thinking of their personal credit cards, and that does seem likely

Here's a UK Mastercard agreement from 2016 - item 8:

A License application must be accompanied by affirmative evidence satisfactory to the
Corporation that the applicant is in compliance with the MasterCard Anti-Money Laundering
Program (the “AML Program”).
The AML Program requires that each Customer conducting or proposing to conduct issuing
and/or acquiring Activity have policies, procedures, and controls in place to protect against the
use of MasterCard systems for money laundering and terrorist financing. Such policies,
procedures, and controls must apply to all Activity and include, at minimum, all of the
following:
1. Thorough client identification
2. Thorough client due diligence
3. Record-keeping of such identification and due diligence
4. Appropriate limitations on anonymous activities
5. Client activity monitoring to detect suspicious activity
6. Steps to be taken when suspicious activity is detected
7. An audit process to test controls
8. Compliance with U.S. sanctions programs, which require that:
a. Each Cardholder, Merchant and agent is checked against the Specially Designated
Nationals and Blocked Persons List (the “SDN List”) issued by the U.S. Treasury
Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (“OFAC”), at the time the relationship is
established and on an ongoing basis. Any Activity with a person or entity found to be
on the SDN List is immediately terminated; and
b. No Activity is conducted in a country subject to OFAC sanctions programs that impact
payment services, or with the government of such a country.
The Corporation has exclusive authority to determine at any time whether an applicant or a
Customer is in compliance with the AML Program. Each applicant to be a Customer and each
Customer must cooperate with the periodic reviews and any other efforts undertaken by the
Corporation to evaluate such applicant’s or Customer’s compliance with the AML Program. As
part of a periodic review, the Corporation may subject a Customer to enhanced due diligence
procedures which may include on-site examinations and/or the use of a third party reviewer.
Any such examination is at the expense of the Customer, and a copy of the examination
results must be provided promptly to the Corporation upon request.

https://www.mastercard.co.uk/content/dam/mccom/apac-global/documents/mastercard-rules-june-2016.pdf

[Marthe48]

8. Thank you so much!

I was reading about stocks and other investments, wondered if the economic insanity would affect investments in foreign companies. There is so much new territory and nothing seems safe.
Thank you for digging so deep

[erronis]

9. Donation time to The Guardian. Excellent reporting. Thank you BRDS.

[BumRushDaShow]

11. I went on and got a full sub to them back in January

There are so few worthy outlets (I also sub to Mother Jones, following David Corn around, but they are obviously not as large an operation as The Guardian).

[Buddyzbuddy]

10. ICC should add Rubio to the list. He has contributed to crimes against humanity.

[GB_RN]

12. Wow, Rubio...

I’m just absolutely positive that the people in question are just shaking in their boots (or Birkenstocks). 😂

[Marcuse]

13. Felon says what?