00:00The European Union has strongly condemned the United States for sanctioning four judges from the International Criminal Court.
00:06The sanctions announced on Thursday target judges including an EU citizen, Slovenia's Betty Hochler, deepening the ongoing transatlantic rift.
00:15Washington cited the ICC's baseless probes into alleged US and Israeli war crimes, including the recent warrant issued for Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu.
00:25On Friday, top EU leaders voiced their empathic support for the court, with Commission President von der Leyen saying it must be free to act without pressure.
00:33The President said that the Commission fully supports the International Criminal Court and its officials,
00:41that this court holds perpetrators of the world's gravest crimes to account and gives victims a voice.
00:51It must be free to act without pressure. We will always stand for global justice and the respect of international law.
01:00The Netherlands, the ICC's host country, also deplored the move, while Slovenia called on Brussels to activate its blocking statute,
01:07which protects citizens and companies from what the EU deems illegal extraterritorial sanctions imposed by other countries.
01:14The ICC said it would continue its work undeterred, warning the sanctions only emboldened impunity.
01:21The US is not a party to the court and has long had a tense relationship with the Hague-based tribunal.
