Netherlands ‘very disturbed’ by U.S. moves against ICC, says foreign minister

AMSTERDAM (Reuters) – The Netherlands is “very disturbed” by an executive order issued by U.S. President Donald Trump on Thursday that paved the way for sanctions against employees of the International Criminal Court, which is based in the Dutch city of The Hague.

The reaction by Dutch Foreign Minister Stef Blok came hours after the order which could lead to the blocking of assets of ICC employees involved in a probe into alleged war crimes in Afghanistan.

“Very disturbed by the United States’ measures,” Blok said in comments posted on Twitter. “The Netherlands fully supports the ICC and will continue to do so. The ICC is crucial in the fight against impunity and in upholding international rule of law.”