American Service Members' Protection Act

The American Service-Members' Protection Act ( ASPA ; German Protection Act for American service members ) is a US law to protect the US government, the US military and other official US officials from prosecution by the International Criminal Court (ICC). Like the People's Republic of China and various developing countries, the United States (USA) is not a member of the ICC or has not ratified the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court .

Emergence

Republican Senator Jesse Helms introduced the bill as an annex to the Supplemental Appropriations Act for Further Recovery from and Response to Terrorist Attacks on the United States (HR4775); The US Congress passed the law in May 2002, the US Senate in June , and US President George W. Bush put it into effect on August 2, 2002.

purpose

The law serves to weaken the position of the International Criminal Court in The Hague by protecting US citizens from extradition to the ICC. The President of the United States is also empowered to use all means, including military invasions, to free US citizens accused before the ICC from court. The ASPA is therefore also known as The Hague Invasion Act ( German Den-Haag-Invasionsgesetz ).

ASPA also restricts the use of US forces for United Nations peace missions if these do not guarantee immunity from prosecution.

Web links

American Service Members' Protection Act. (No longer available online.) United States Department of State , July 30, 2003, archived from original on October 15, 2003 (in English).; accessed on July 5, 2018
HR4775 - 2002 Supplemental Appropriations Act for Further Recovery From and Response To Terrorist Attacks on the United States: Summary. Library of Congress(English).; accessed on July 5, 2018
Helms Introduces Amendment to Protect Servicemen From International Criminal Court. In: Website by Jochen Birk. September 26, 2001(English).; accessed on July 5, 2018
Congressional Record 107th Congress (2001-2002): National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2002 --Continued - (Senate - October 02, 2001). (No longer available online.) The Library of Congress, archived from the original on December 11, 2015 (English, transcript of the bill).; accessed on July 5, 2018
John Sutherland: Who are America's real enemies? In: The Guardian . July 8, 2002 (English).; accessed on July 5, 2018
US: 'Hague Invasion Act' Becomes Law. In: Human Rights News . August 3, 2002(English).; accessed on July 5, 2018
Lincoln P. Bloomfield: The US Government and the International Criminal Court. September 12, 2003 .; accessed on July 5, 2018
Anton Schaefer : The question of political power. In: Edition Europe. February 18, 2008 .; accessed on July 5, 2018

Individual evidence

↑ Ekkehard Jänicke, Florian Rötzer : US citizens and allies should also be protected from access by the International Court of Justice by force. In: Telepolis . June 12, 2002, accessed July 5, 2018 .

[1] Ekkehard Jänicke, Florian Rötzer : US citizens and allies should also be protected from access by the International Court of Justice by force. In: Telepolis . June 12, 2002, accessed July 5, 2018 .