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Canadian ICC Judge: U.S. Sanctions Are an 'Attack on Impunity'
Canadian ICC judge Kimberly Prost says U.S. sanctions that cancelled her credit cards and froze banking access are "not symbolic in any way" - and won't stop her work.
Canadian judge Kimberly Prost has had her credit cards cancelled, her bank transfers thrown into doubt, and her access to basic digital services disrupted - all because the Trump administration sanctioned her for her work at the International Criminal Court (ICC). Speaking to CBC News, Prost said the sanctions are anything but ceremonial, and that efforts to intimidate her and other court officials are "futile."
"Every time literally I go to make a bank transfer, I hold my breath because I don't know if it's going to work," Prost said. "To order an Uber, book a hotel, buy a theatre ticket - everything requires some form of credit card, and so you're sort of struggling to adjust."
Why She Was Sanctioned
Prost was targeted specifically for her role in judicially authorizing a preliminary investigation in March 2020 into alleged war crimes in Afghanistan, including by U.S. service members, dating back to 2003. Since 2021, however, that investigation has largely shifted focus to the Afghan government and Taliban forces.
"To my knowledge, there's no active investigation of the Americans in that case, but I'm sanctioned," Prost said.
The ICC, based in The Hague, Netherlands, prosecutes individuals charged with genocide, war crimes, and crimes against humanity when courts in its 125 member states - Canada among them - are unwilling or unable to act. The United States has never been a member of the court and has long objected to the possibility of its citizens facing prosecution there.
A Broader U.S. Campaign
The sanctions against Prost are part of a wider U.S. effort to pressure and discredit the ICC. A February 2025 executive order from President Donald Trump imposed sanctions on the court for investigating American personnel and issuing arrest warrants against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former defence minister Yoav Gallant.
Trump escalated that pressure at the United Nations General Assembly on September 22, 2026, urging member nations to "officially resign from this rogue institution immediately." Secretary of State Marco Rubio followed up last month, threatening to dismantle the ICC "brick by brick" if allies do not "rein in" the court. Beyond judges, ICC officials have also had Google, iCloud, and Amazon accounts cut off as a result of the sanctions.
What Prost Says Is at Stake
Prost frames the U.S. campaign as an assault on a system of international criminal justice built after the Second World War.
"It is an attack that foresees a world where victims of atrocity crimes are forgotten," she said. "And it is an attack in favour of impunity and ending accountability for these crimes. That's the only way it can be framed."
Despite the personal and financial disruptions, she says the intimidation won't work.
Canada's Position
For Canadians, this story has a direct stake. Canada is a founding member of the ICC and has consistently supported the court's mandate. A Canadian judge being sanctioned by an ally puts Ottawa in an uncomfortable position: standing behind an international institution its neighbour is actively trying to undermine. The Canadian government has not withdrawn support for the ICC, but the pressure on officials like Prost puts that commitment to a very personal test.
The ICC's future - and Canada's willingness to defend it - will be worth watching as U.S. pressure continues to mount.