US blocks ICC War Crimes Probe

Editor

Sha'ban 25, 1440 2019-05-01

Editor's Desk

by Editor (Editor's Desk, Crescent International Vol. 48, No. 3, Sha'ban, 1440)

The list of US war crimes — from Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Iraq to Syria — is long. After investigating the conduct of US occupation forces in Afghanistan — bombing wedding parties, schools, hospitals, and even civilians in the street — the International Criminal Court’s chief prosecutor, Fatou Bensouda decided to probe further by interviewing US soldiers who had served in Afghanistan.

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo took offence. How dare anyone investigate the US? He said Ms. Bensouda would not be allowed to enter the US and on April 5, Washington revoked her visa to the US. Instead of backing their chief prosecutor, on April 12 judges at the ICC rejected Bensouda’s request for an investigation by caving in to US pressure. It proved the ICC is no more than a tool in the hands of Washington warlords and its warmongering allies.

Human right advocates expressed alarm at such blatant interference by Washington in the workings of the ICC. They pointed out that this would undermine the court’s credibility.

Since its establishment, the ICC has been used as an attack dog by Western regimes to go after rulers they do not like. It has little do with justice or law. It is rooted in the pre-existing hierarchy and embedded colonial structures in international legal order.

It is unrealistic to expect such institutions, despite their high sounding names, to ever deliver justice to the oppressed against the oppressors: the US, Israel, and their allies.