International Criminal Court, ICC has called on world leaders most especially leaders from its 125 member states and Civil Society Organisations, CSOs to unite against the President of the United States, US, Donald Trump following the Executive Order signed on Thursday by the North America President with plans to impose sanctions on ICC officials over the court arrest warrant issued against Israel Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu and his former Defence Minister, Yoav Gallant for alleged war crimes in Gaza; this, ICC in a press release issued few minutes ago said that President Donald Trump is trying to politicise the International Court, harm it and deny the court the freedom to continue to protest the rights of millions of victims of war crimes and atrocities across the globe.

Donald Trump had on Thursday signed an executive order, authorising economic sanctions against the International Criminal Court, ICC.

The President accused the ICC of “illegitimate and baseless actions” investigations targeting the US and its ally Israel.

The Hague had “abused its power” by issuing an arrest warrant for the Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, according to a section of the Executie order.

The ICC President, Judge Tomoko Akane on Friday condemned the US executive order and vowed to “continue providing justice and hope to millions of innocent victims of atrocities across the world”.

The UN human rights office said it deeply regretted the US sanctions against the ICC and called for a reversal of the decision.

Israeli Foreign Minister, Gideon Saar on Friday praised Trump for imposing sanctions on the ICC, calling the court’s actions against Israel “immoral” and illegitimate.

US Secretary of State, Marco Rubio will pay his first visit to the Middle East this month, the State Department said late Thursday. Rubio will attend the Munich Security Conference and then visit Israel, the UAE, Qatar and Saudi Arabia from February 13 through 18.

The Executive order grants the US president broad powers to impose asset freezes and travel bans against ICC staff and their family members if the US finds that they are involved in efforts to investigate or prosecute citizens of the US and certain allies.

The US action against the ICC came in response to the court’s decision in November to issue arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former defence minister Yoav Gallant for alleged war crimes in Gaza.

Excerpts of the Statement of ICC President, Judge Tomoko Akane following the issuance of the US Executive Order seeking to impose sanctions on the International Criminal Court reads below:

“I note with deep regret the issuance by the United States of an Executive Order seeking to impose sanctions on the officials of the International Criminal Court (ICC, Court), harm the Court’s independence and its impartiality and deprive millions of innocent victims of atrocities of justice and hope.

The ICC is a judicial body which performs functions that align with the interests of the international community by enforcing and promoting universally recognised rules of international law, including the law of armed conflicts and human rights law.

As atrocities continue to plague the globe affecting the lives of millions of innocent children, women and men, the Court has become indispensable. It represents the most significant legacy of the immense suffering inflicted on civilians by the world wars, the Holocaust, genocides, violence and persecutions.

When most of the States of the world gathered to draft the Rome Statute, they made the dream of many women and men come true. Today, the ICC is dealing with proceedings arising from different Situations across the world, in strict adherence to the provisions of the Rome Statute.

The announced Executive Order is only the latest in a series of unprecedented and escalatory attacks aiming to undermine the Court’s ability to administer justice in all Situations.

Such threats and coercive measures constitute serious attacks against the Court’s States Parties, the rule of law based international order and millions of victims.

The ICC and its officials from all over the world realise daily its judicial mandate to determine whether certain individual conducts, within its legitimate jurisdiction, give rise to responsibility for international crimes.

We firmly reject any attempt to influence the independence and the impartiality of the Court or to politicise our judicial function. We have and always will comply only with the law, under all circumstances.

The ICC stands firmly by its personnel and pledges to continue providing justice and hope to millions of innocent victims of atrocities across the world, in all Situations before it, in the sole interest of human dignity. I call upon all those who share the values enshrined in the Statute to stand united in the Court’s defence: our 125 States Parties, civil society and all nations of the world”.