Open this photo in gallery In this 2016 file photo, International Criminal Court chief prosecutor Fatou Bensouda waits for the start of a trial in The Hague, Netherlands. The Associated Press The prosecutor of the International Criminal Court said Friday that her U.S. visa has been revoked, in what appears to be evidence of a crackdown on the global tribunal by the Trump administration. In a statement confirming the revocation, Prosecutor Fatou Bensouda’s office stressed that she “has an independent and impartial mandate” under the court’s founding treaty, the Rome Statute. “The Prosecutor and her office will continue to undertake that statutory duty with utmost commitment and professionalism, without fear or favour,” the statement said. Story continues below advertisement Ms. Bensouda’s office said that the revocation of her visa shouldn’t have an impact on her travel to the United States for meetings, including regular briefings at the UN Security Council. The United States has never been a member of the ICC, a court of last resort that prosecutes grave crimes only when other countries are unwilling or unable to bring suspects to justice. Ms. Bensouda is expected to brief the Security Council next month on her investigations in Libya. U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said last month that Washington would revoke or deny visas to ICC staff seeking to investigate alleged war crimes and other abuses committed by U.S. forces in Afghanistan or elsewhere and may do the same with those who seek action against Israel. The ICC prosecutor has a pending request to look into possible war crimes in Afghanistan that may involve Americans. The Palestinians have also asked the court to bring cases against Israel. Mr. Pompeo said in March that his move was necessary to prevent the court from infringing on U.S. sovereignty by prosecuting American forces or allies for torture or other war crimes. “We are determined to protect the American and allied military and civilian personnel from living in fear of unjust prosecution for actions taken to defend our great nation,” Mr. Pompeo said. Ms. Bensouda asked last year to open an investigation into allegations of war crimes committed by Afghan national security forces, Taliban and Haqqani network militants, as well as U.S. forces and intelligence officials in Afghanistan since May, 2003. Story continues below advertisement The request says there is information that members of the U.S. military and intelligence agencies “committed acts of torture, cruel treatment, outrages upon personal dignity, rape and sexual violence against conflict-related detainees in Afghanistan and other locations, principally in the 2003-2004 period.” Although the United States has never been a member of the Hague-based court, the Clinton administration in 2000 signed the Rome Statute that created it. However, he had reservations about the scope of the court’s jurisdiction and never submitted it for ratification to the Senate. When president George W. Bush took office in 2001, his administration passed the American Service Members Protection Act, which sought to immunize U.S. troops from potential prosecution by the ICC. In 2002, U.S. national security adviser John Bolton, then a State Department official, travelled to New York to ceremonially “unsign” the Rome Statute at the United Nations. In a speech to the American Society of International Law late last month, ICC President Chile Eboe-Osuji paid tribute to American involvement in previous international courts, from the post-Second World War trials of Nazis in Nuremberg to UN tribunals for the former Yugoslavia and Rwanda. He urged Washington to support the ICC “whose values and objectives are entirely consistent with the best instincts of America and her values.”<doc-sep>Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said: "If you're responsible for the proposed ICC investigation of US personnel in connection with the situation in Afghanistan, you should not assume that you will still have or get a visa, or that you will be permitted to enter the United States.<doc-sep>
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo stated last month that Washington would impose visa restrictions on individuals linked to the International Criminal Court's (ICC) prospective investigation into alleged war crimes committed by US personnel in Afghanistan. The International Criminal Court prosecutor said in a statement that her US visa had been revoked, the AFP reported. According to the statement, Prosecutor Fatou Bensouda's office emphasised that she "has an independent and impartial mandate" under the court's founding treaty, the Rome Statute. "The Prosecutor and her office will continue to undertake that statutory duty with utmost commitment and professionalism, without fear or favour", the statement said. The report comes after US authorities warned individuals connected to the proposed ICC investigation of American servicemen that they might not be allowed to enter the United States. READ MORE: US Visa Denial to ICC Staff ‘Reeks of Totalitarianism' — Rights Group Last year, President Donald Trump told the United Nations General Assembly that the US would never surrender its sovereignty by supporting the ICC and will always consider it to be an illegitimate global institution. Washington has criticised the ICC since the body was first introduced during the Clinton administration, claiming it would be used by enemies of the US for politically motivated attacks against Americans serving overseas, especially US service members. In 2002, Congress passed a law banning US support for the ICC and also allowed the government to use all necessary means to repatriate any American citizen detained by the court. The ICC, which is located in The Hague, Netherlands, was formed to investigate and prosecute war crimes and other crimes against humanity when national governments are unable to act.