​​​​​​​WASHINGTON

A UN human rights expert on Wednesday urged an end to double standards against the International Criminal Court (ICC), whose judges have been sanctioned by the US after issuing arrest warrants for Israeli officials for alleged war crimes in the Gaza Strip.

“If every person is equal before the law, the actions of the ICC demonstrate that the same is true for both victims and alleged perpetrators,” said Margaret Satterthwaite, UN special rapporteur on the independence of judges and lawyers, speaking to reporters at UN headquarters in New York. “It’s time to end the double standards -- international justice exists or it does not.”

Satterthwaite said threats and sanctions against the ICC “promote a culture of impunity” and interfere with freedom of expression and the work of human rights defenders, calling such actions “incompatible with international law.”

“I want to call on all states very clearly to respect the court's independence as a judicial institution and protect the independence and impartiality of all those who work there,” she added.

The US imposed sanctions in August on four ICC officials, including a judge who approved the warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant. In February, US President Donald Trump signed an executive order placing financial and visa restrictions on ICC staff and anyone assisting investigations into war crimes by the US and its allies, including Israel.