UN chief concerned about U.S. sanctions on ICC judges

UNITED NATIONS, June 11 (Xinhua) -- UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has voiced concern over U.S. sanctions against four judges of the International Criminal Court (ICC), said his spokesman on Wednesday.

"The secretary-general expresses serious concern about the designation of four judges of the International Criminal Court to be sanctioned under the executive order by the United States," said Farhan Haq, deputy spokesman for Guterres.

While the United Nations and the ICC are separate institutions with separate and distinct mandates, the United Nations considers the ICC a key pillar of international criminal justice, and the secretary-general respects its work, Haq told a daily press briefing.

Guterres also emphasizes the importance of the basic principle of judicial independence, said the spokesman.

Washington last week imposed sanctions on four ICC judges, who were targeted for their engagement in ICC actions against the United States or Israel, according to a statement from U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio. ■