that, if Europe took its “values” seriously instead of relegating them to “mere rhetorical words for big speeches in Brussels,” the case of French International Criminal Court judge Nicolas Guillou “it would be the political scandal of the century, […] “the kind of issues that overthrow governments and rekindle proud European conscience.”. Guillou has been living, as he himself has related, a kind of return to the 90s since last August 20, 2025, the day Donald Trump included him on a blacklist of people sanctioned by the United States, a list that he shares with terrorists from Al Qaeda, the Islamic State and other organized crime groups. His sin? Having authorized the International Criminal Court to issue arrest warrants against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity.
Since returning to the White House, The president of the United States has sanctioned three prosecutors and eight judges of the International Criminal Court for investigating crimes that may have been committed not only by “people from the United States” but also by some of its allies, such as Israel, which includes its prime minister.. Trump signed an executive order notifying members of the international tribunal of the sanctions shortly after the arrest warrant was issued against Netanyahu and when he was visiting Washington. During that trip, and in a joint press conference, the US president proposed “taking control of Gaza.”
The problem with these sanctions is that, as some may think, they not only prohibit those affected from traveling or contracting American services, but they effectively erase them from modern life. “The sanctions affect all aspects of my daily life,”: “They prohibit any US person or entity, any individual or company, as well as their foreign affiliates, from providing services to me. All my accounts with US companies, such as Amazon, Airbnb, PayPal, etc., are closed. For example, I made a reservation on Expedia for a hotel in France, and a few hours later I received an email from the company canceling my reservation, citing these sanctions. In practice, I can no longer do business online because it is not known if the package containing the product is American. “Being under sanctions is like going back to the ’90s.”
When France proposed Guillou as a candidate for the International Criminal Court, in the contact information the magistrate provided the media with a Gmail email for anyone who wanted to communicate with him. Since August 20, 2025, you cannot use that email. Actually, no Google app. Neither WhatsApp, nor Facebook or Instagram. Your bank account is worth almost nothing, since any payment that requires the intermediation of Visa, Mastercard, American Express or the use of the SWIFT interbank system is blocked. “Overnight,” Guillou told the French newspaper, “you are left without a bank card.”.
Intimidation goes beyond the judges themselves. Their families or close friends are also affected. The daughter of Peruvian judge Luz del Carmen Ibáñez Carranza, also sanctioned by the United States, had her US visa and her Google accounts cancelled, according to . Ibáñez Carranza sent money monthly to his family in Peru through Western Union, “so they could pay the bills, electricity, water, etc.” Well, Western Union has kept your funds “without any explanation.” Guillou’s partner, being American, could even face years in prison if she helps him. These measures, according to the French judge, “can be maintained for more than a decade, or even more. Imposing sanctions on people plunges them into a state of constant anxiety and helplessnesswith the aim of discouraging them”.
These judges not only investigate, however, the genocide that the UN says Israel commits in Palestine. At this time, the International Criminal Court is investigating various international crimes that may have been committed in Myanmar, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Uganda, the Central African Republic, Sudan, Burundi, Ivory Coast, Libya, Kenya, Mali, Bolivia, Ukraine, the Philippines, Venezuela, Colombia, Nigeria, Iraq, Guinea, Afghanistan… The list is long and, , US sanctions not only “could seriously compromise” ongoing investigations, but will “prevent victims’ access to legitimate and independent justice”. “Sanctions are a tool that should be used against those responsible for the most serious international crimes, not against those who fight for justice,” the organization defends.
What can the rest of the countries do?
The Argentine, in addition to serving as deputy prosecutor in the trial of the Military Juntas of Argentina in 1985. In conversation with El HuffPost, Ocampo believes that “countries should ensure that judges [de la CPI] “They have credit cards and can use Internet communication mechanisms, which are not affected by North American or European companies.”. In his opinion, this is essential especially in a month, this March, in which the deadline for the presentation of candidates to fill six positions of judges on the Court ends.
But do European governments, for example, have the capacity to act? Yeah. As Guillou explained to The World“European authorities can apply the blocking regulation (a mechanism that protects citizens and companies in the European Union from the effects of sanctions imposed by third countries).” “Europe needs greater sovereignty, especially in digital and banking matters. This is the only way to reduce the impact of sanctions and therefore, indirectly, protect victims of international crimes. Today, there is no room for naivety. Without sovereignty (military, health, banking and digital), the rule of law can no longer be guaranteed. […] “Behind the sanctions against the International Criminal Court, the very question of the rule of law is at stake,” he said.
Yanis Varoufakis expressed himself along those same lines. “The sanctions imposed constitute a master lesson in the annihilation of European sovereignty,” wrote the former Greek minister. “Guillou’s case is a crude metaphor for Europe itself: a union of nation-states that contributed to the creation of an international court to defend their values, allowing a foreign power to punish its own judge for it, and then helped enforce the punishment. “This is a union that has lost its direction, its soul and its integrity, turning Europeans into mere spectators in the theater of our own decline,” he continued.
