Switzerland says that it regrets that the United States has adopted measures against officials of the International Criminal Court and threatened to impose further sanctions. “The Court is independent and bound only by law. It must therefore not become the target of political measures,” said a press release issued by the Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (FDFA) on Friday evening. The move came after US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo stated that the US would revoke or deny visas to International Criminal Court personnel who attempt to investigate alleged abuses committed by US forces in Afghanistan. In doing so, he made good on an earlier threat by the Trump administration to ban ICC judges and prosecutors from entering the United States and sanction funds they have there if the court launched a probe of war crimes in Afghanistan. "These visa restrictions may also be used to deter ICC efforts to pursue allied personnel, including Israelis, without allied consent," ...
