Pentagon Blocks US from Joining International War Crimes Investigations

The Pentagon is reportedly blocking the United States from participating in an international investigation into the alleged Russian war crimes against humanity documented in Ukraine. Beth Van Schaack, ambassador-at-large for Global Criminal Justice, testified before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and acknowledged the Pentagon's role in blocking the US from joining the International Criminal Court (ICC) probe. The Defense Department's refusal to implement the law is unacceptable and dangerous to the US system of government, according to Chairman Sen. Bob Menendez. The ICC previously launched an investigation into alleged US war crimes carried out in Afghanistan, prompting then-President Trump to slap sanctions and other restrictions on the court's top prosecutors and their relatives.