Rubio assails International Criminal Court in Washington speech
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio attacked the International Criminal Court in a speech to the Federalist Society in Washington on 13 Nov. He said the court would try to prosecute US officials or service members, a claim he used to justify sanctions against the ICC announced last month. Rubio said the US would not submit to what he called radical judges or soulless global bureaucrats. He argued for a muscular foreign policy and said the goal of the US-Israeli war against Iran was to prevent Tehran from building a nuclear weapon. The speech was his first prepared remarks since Republicans lost the 3 Nov midterm elections.
Key facts
- Rubio said the US never consented to ICC authority and will not be bound by its rulings.
- Rubio cited the seizure of Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro and Caribbean boat strikes as actions the ICC criticized.
- Rubio said the United States signed but never ratified the Rome Statute that created the ICC.
- The ICC, based in the Netherlands and founded in 2002, has faced earlier US sanctions on prosecutors and judges.
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Why it matters
Signals continued US opposition to the ICC's jurisdiction over American personnel and actions.
What changed
First published from The Straits Times, Bangkok Post, Middle East Eye, The Hindu and Anadolu Agency