The Hague-based International Criminal Court (ICC) has declined a request from its prosecutor to investigate alleged war crimes by the US and its allies in Afghanistan.
Welcomed by US President Donald Trump as a major international victory for his administration, the ruling was slammed by Amnesty International, according to foreign media reports.
ICC judges cited instability and the lack of cooperation with investigators as they handed down the judgment, which came a week after Washington revoked ICC prosecutor Fatou Bensouda’s visa.
The three ICC pre-trial chamber judges said such a probe would not serve the interests of justice, the BBC reported.
The verdict was a victory “not only for these patriots, but for the rule of law”, the US leader said in a statement. He branded the ICC as “illegitimate” and warned it would be met with a “swift response” if it tried to prosecute Americans.
On the other hand, Amnesty International denounced the ICC refusal as a “shocking abandonment of victims” that would weaken the court’s already questionable credibility.
The judges said changes in the political landscape in non-member states (the US) made it extremely difficult to gauge the prospects of securing meaningful cooperation from relevant authorities for the future.
Meanwhile, Director of International Justice at the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) Karine Bonneau tweeted the decision was politically charged. It was an affirmation of double standards,” she remarked.
In 2006, ICC prosecutors launched a preliminary investigation into war crimes and crimes against humanity committed in Afghanistan since 2003.
Eleven years later, chief prosecutor Fatou Bensouda asked judges to permit a complete probe against the Taliban, Afghan soldiers and international forces, particularly US troops and Central Intelligence Agency personnel.
