ICC judge urges EU to block US sanctions

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BRUSSELS — A French judge at the International Criminal Court on Tuesday urged the EU to block US sanctions that have seen his bank card stopped and him cut off from internet services.

Nicolas Guillou was among several ICC judges blacklisted by Washington in August after an arrest warrant was issued for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over alleged war crimes in Gaza.

That move led his bank to cancel his Visa card as it is an American system, and also saw him blocked from using US-owned internet services like Amazon and Airbnb.

"The most problematic aspect is when it affects services for which there is no European alternative," Guillou said before meeting EU officials in Brussels.

The judge said he wanted the European Commission, the EU's executive, to put forward legislation to bar companies from implementing the US sanctions on European soil.

He argued this would send "a very strong political message from the European Union rejecting these attacks on the rule of law and justice".

Guillou also called on the EU to step up efforts to create European alternatives to systems like Visa and Mastercard, such as a "digital euro" being envisioned by Brussels.

The US sanctions targeting the ICC have drawn condemnation from the EU and Guillou's homeland France.

The court's prosecution alleges Netanyahu is responsible for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Israel's offensive in Gaza including by intentionally targeting civilians and using starvation as a method of war.