WASHINGTON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 05th January, 2021) A US Federal judge blocked the Trump administration's sanctions against lawyers working with the International Criminal Court (ICC), a court document revealed.
"Plaintiffs' Motion for a Preliminary Injunction is GRANTED in part. Defendants are hereby enjoined from enforcing IEEPA's [International Economic Emergency Powers Act' civil or criminal penalty provisions against Plaintiffs for conduct specifically addressed in Plaintiff's Complaint and in this Opinion and Order, to the extent that such conduct is alleged to have been committed in violation of Executive Order 13,928," US Judge Katherine Polk Failla wrote in the opinion on Monday.
Failla said the proffered national security justification for seeking to prevent and potentially punish lawyers' speech is inadequate to overstep their First Amendment rights.
Last March, the ICC authorized the commencement of an investigation into alleged war crimes committed by parties to the conflict in Afghanistan, including US personnel. In response, on June 11, 2020, US President Donald Trump issued an executive order authorizing sanctions against ICC officials.
