A French judge at the International Criminal Court, Nicolas Guillou, has said sanctions imposed by US President Donald Trump have severely disrupted his daily life, including access to banking, travel, healthcare and digital services.
Guillou said his bank account had been restricted and that he had found it “almost impossible” to book flights, taxis and hotels because some European banks and companies were reluctant to provide services for fear of breaching the US sanctions.
Speaking to The Irish Times, he said the restrictions had affected transactions within Europe, with some businesses engaging in what he described as “over-compliance” with the sanctions.
The judge also said his health insurer refused to reimburse him for dental treatment.
Guillou was among nine ICC judges and four prosecutors sanctioned by Trump last year over the court’s investigations into alleged war crimes in Afghanistan and Palestine, as well as its decision to issue arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and former Defence Minister Yoav Gallant.
The sanctions bar affected individuals, their spouses and children from entering the United States and freeze any assets they hold in the country.
Guillou said the consequences went beyond the individuals directly targeted, arguing that the situation exposed Europe’s dependence on US-controlled banking and digital infrastructure.
He called on Ireland to use its presidency of the Council of the European Union to push for measures that would reduce the impact of foreign sanctions on European institutions and businesses.
Among the measures he proposed is the activation of the EU Blocking Statute, which is designed to shield European companies from the extraterritorial effects of foreign sanctions, particularly those imposed by the US.
Guillou suggested that concerns over possible US tariffs may have discouraged the EU from activating the mechanism.
However, he said European countries should not compromise their legal principles because of economic pressure.
“If our choice is that we would prefer to avoid a couple of per cent of tariffs versus being committed to fighting genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes, then there is no European project.”
Despite the restrictions, Guillou said ICC judges remained determined to carry out their responsibilities, although he acknowledged that the sanctions could have a wider deterrent effect.
He said the restrictions were evidence of Europe’s vulnerability in banking and technology and warned that this could ultimately affect its ability to maintain legal independence.
“If we do not have digital or banking sovereignty, we lose our legal sovereignty and our rule of law is at stake.”
Guillou said Ireland had “a huge role” to play, particularly if Washington increased the sanctions, and pointed to US Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s stated desire to “dismantle” the ICC.
The judge rejected the idea that ICC judges were acting politically, saying their work involved handling cases concerning large numbers of victims of conflict and alleged atrocities.
He said judges regularly hear accounts from children who witnessed their parents being killed, parents who lost their children, women who were raped and men who were tortured.
“This is the daily life of the court. This is why there is no question we will give up. We won’t back down, we have to continue.”
Guillou made the comments on Tuesday at the Law Society of Ireland headquarters in Dublin, where he received the Medal of Excellence from the society’s Centre for Justice and Law Reform.
Law Society president Rosemarie Loftus said Guillou had faced “extraordinary challenges” after being placed on the US sanctions list “simply for doing his work upholding the international rule of law”.
She described him as a “fearless advocate for international justice and accountability, not only for those directly affected by conflict and atrocity, but for the international legal order as a whole”.
Guillou said one of the most serious consequences of the sanctions was the prohibition on US individuals and companies, including subsidiaries and employees, from providing services to or receiving services from sanctioned individuals.
He said this had particularly affected banking, digital services and healthcare in his everyday life.
According to Guillou, restrictions on his bank account and the lack of alternatives to US-issued credit cards had made it difficult to access basic financial services. He said he was effectively unable to conduct banking activities outside the eurozone.
In his address to the Law Society, Guillou also warned of what he described as a growing rejection of international law and multilateral institutions.
He said this movement was being driven by “two dynamics” — imperial and libertarian.
According to him, the imperial dynamic represents “a return to managing international relations through force” and “a world where there are overlords and vassals”.
He described the libertarian dynamic as “the rule of the richest” and a return to managing global affairs based primarily on wealth and financial interests.
Guillou argued that the US sanctions reflected both trends, saying they “are aimed at influencing judges’ decisions” and creating “a system of domination through fear”.
He said the international rule of law stood against both dynamics, which he said was “precisely why multilateral institutions are under attack”.
