The decision of the United States to revoke sanctions against the International Criminal Court (ICC) has received commendation from the Assembly of States Parties (ASP) to the Rome Statute.

ASP president, Silvia Fernandez de Gurmendi, disclosed this in a press release on Friday, describing the announcement by the U.S. as welcomed.

Former U.S president, Donald Trump through the Secretary of State Mike Pompeo had on September 2, 2020, imposed sanctions against ICC Chief prosecutor, Fatou Bensouda alongside head of the Jurisdiction, Complementarity and Cooperation Division, Phakiso Mochocoko, as well as other top officials of the court, accusing them of “illegitimate attempts to subject Americans to its jurisdiction,” the BBC reported. 

The news outlet also reported that the U.S. government further restricted the issuance of visas for ICC staff who were involved in investigating U.S personnel.

However, Ms Gurmendi commended the revoking of the “Executive Order 13928” and the lifting of “the unfortunate sanctions against the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Criminal Court and a senior staff member in her office, as well as the termination of the separate 2019 policy on visa restrictions on certain ICC personnel,” by the Biden administration. 

Ms Gurmendi added that the decision “contributes to strengthening the work of the Court and, more generally, to promoting a rules-based international order.”

The ASP which is the management oversight and legislative body of the ICC, restated its commitment alongside the court, to pursue “accountability for the gravest crimes of international concern.”