STATE DEPARTMENT CAMPAIGNING AGAINST INTERNATIONAL CRIMINAL COURT

WASHINGTON, JULY 13 /SRNA/ - The US State Department has launched a campaign to end the threat posed by the International Criminal Court /ICC/ to US sovereignty.

The campaign will include diplomatic efforts to expand the number of countries rejecting the ICC’s authority, "increased scrutiny" of countries that refuse to "reject the ICC’s illegitimate authority while relying on US assistance", the revocation of visas and travel bans for ICC personnel, as well as sanctions against the court and its affiliated organisations.

"The ICC claims that it has the authority to prosecute and even imprison US soldiers and officials acting in the interests of US national security. Americans have never signed up to this, and every US president since the ICC’s establishment has maintained that the court has no jurisdiction over Americans," the State Department said in a statement.

The statement recalls that the ICC previously launched an investigation into US soldiers and intelligence officers and has since refused to close those cases.