The prosecutor of the International Criminal Court said Friday that her US visa has been revoked, in what appears to be evidence of a crackdown on the global tribunal by the Trump administration.
In a statement confirming the revocation, Prosecutor Fatou Bensouda's office stressed that she "has an independent and impartial mandate" under the court's founding treaty, the Rome Statute.
"The Prosecutor and her office will continue to undertake that statutory duty with utmost commitment and professionalism, without fear or favour," the statement said.
Bensouda's office said that the revocation of her visa shouldn't have an impact on her travel to the US for meetings, including regular briefings at the UN Security Council.
The US has never been a member of the ICC, a court of last resort that prosecutes grave crimes only when other nations are unwilling or unable to bring suspects to justice.
Bensouda is expected to brief the Security Council next month on her investigations in Libya.
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The State Department confirmed the measure.
"In this case, where Prosecutor Bensouda has publicly stated that her visa has been revoked, we confirm that the Prosecutor's visa to the United States has been revoked," the department said in a statement.
It declined to discuss other cases but said that "the United States will take the necessary steps to protect its sovereignty and to protect our people from unjust investigation and prosecution by the International Criminal Court."
The request says there is information that members of the US military and intelligence agencies "committed acts of torture, cruel treatment, outrages upon personal dignity, rape and sexual violence against conflict-related detainees in Afghanistan and other locations, principally in the 2003-2004 period."