The International Criminal Court (ICC) condemned the sanctions imposed by the US on the Court's Prosecutor and a member of the Office.

"These coercive acts are unprecedented and constitute serious attacks against the Court, the Rome Statute system of international criminal justice, and the rule of law more generally," the ICC said in a statement.

It came after the Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced sanctions against two ICC officials: ICC Chief Prosecutor Fatou Bensouda, and the ICC's Head of Jurisdiction, Complementary, and Cooperation Division Phakiso Mochochoko.

For its part, the Venezuelan Foreign Ministry considered the USA's imposing sanctions against the Office of the Prosecutor, an implicit admission of war crimes.

As a result, the Venezuelan Foreign Minister, Jorge Arreaza, tweeted on Thursday, "the International Criminal Court judges crimes against humanity. The US commits them frequently. US sanctions the Court's Prosecutor and threatens all judges to avoid investigation on its atrocious crimes: an illegal practice that amounts to a confession of guilt."

It's worth mentioning that Trump issued last June a decree to impose sanctions on the ICC officials who investigated in the war crimes committed in Afghanistan by US as well as potential crimes committed by Israel against the Palestinians.

Source : Safa