ICC prosecutor says US sanctions put them on par with 'drug traffickers'

The deputy prosecutor of the International Criminal Court on Friday condemned ongoing US sanctions, arguing they effectively put top court officials on a par with "terrorists and drug traffickers," AFP reported.

"You can disagree with what we're doing. That happens all the time," Mame Mandiaye Niang told AFP.

"But even if we upset you, you should never put us on the same list as terrorists or drug traffickers. That is the message to Trump."

Niang, 65, said the sanctions affected his personal, family, and financial life.

He found himself unable to charge up his hybrid car because it required a credit card that had been blocked due to the sanctions.

"I have a subscription that has absolutely nothing to do with the US, but I need a credit card. And my credit card was American Express," he said.

"I found that all of a sudden, I couldn't even charge up my car."

Niang said he was unable to transfer money to family members for fear their accounts would also be blocked.

Sanctions have a place in international relations, the prosecutor told AFP, but attacking the ICC - the world's only permanent court to try war crimes suspects - risks "de-legitimising" the instrument.

Niang said it would be "conceivable" to hold an in-absentia hearing against high-level ICC targets such as Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.