Loan him a pen, land on a watchlist — Trump sanctions ICC prosecutors for doing their jobs

The International Criminal Court chief prosecutor Karim Khan has officially been sanctioned by the Trump administration. He has lost access to his Microsoft email, his bank accounts are frozen, and American staffers at the ICC have been warned that if they travel back to the U.S., they risk arrest.

In November 2024, the ICC issued an arrest warrant for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The court’s judges concluded there was sufficient reason and evidence to believe that the Israeli government had targeted civilians and blocked humanitarian aid from entering Gaza. Israel has been waging an offensive against Hamas in Gaza since October 2023, following Hamas’s attack on October 7 that killed 1,139 Israelis. Since the war began, over 53,000 people have reportedly died in Gaza.

PBS reports that Trump, upon entering his second term, declared that the court had no jurisdiction over Israel — which is technically true, as Israel withdrew from the court in 2002. However, the Trump administration went further, claiming the ICC’s actions “endanger” U.S. and Israeli personnel. In retaliation, they issued sweeping sanctions. Khan and 900 other non-Americans working at the ICC are now banned from entering the U.S., and any individual or company that provides him with support — financial or technological — faces fines or prison time.

The civilian death toll in Gaza has sparked global outrage, with protests erupting even at top American universities to demand a ceasefire. The ICC had been one of the few peaceful avenues left that might have pressured Israel to halt its offensive. With Trump’s move, that path now appears closed. Emboldened by U.S. support, Israeli officials are reportedly drafting legislation to now criminalize the act of providing evidence to the court.

PBS reportedly reached out to the Trump administration for comment, but given the network’s strained relationship with Trump, it’s unsurprising that no response was provided. Inside the ICC, reactions have shifted from despair to dark humor. Some staffers fear they won’t make it through Trump’s term; others joke that even loaning Karim Khan a pencil could land you on a U.S. watchlist. 

Reports have also confirmed that some U.S.-based non-governmental human rights organizations have halted collaboration with the court for the foreseeable future — fearing that continued involvement could provoke retaliation from Trump. Apparently they’re too afraid to even reply to the ICC’s email.

The ICC doesn’t only deal with Israel and Gaza. It’s the same body that brought war criminals like Charles Taylor to justice and is currently investigating similar crimes in Sudan. The court steps in when national judicial systems are too overwhelmed or compromised to prosecute powerful figures. If Trump guts the ICC’s authority, the consequences will be global — and history will remember him for it.

Behind all the Pope memes, the vulgar remarks about Taylor Swift’s appearance, and the constant media circus he creates as distraction, this is the legacy he’s building — brick by brick. A world where, so long as you’re in his good graces, you’re essentially above investigation and reproach.