International Criminal Court members defend it in face of U.S. sanctions

FILE PHOTO: The International Criminal Court building is seen in The Hague, Netherlands, January 16, 2019. REUTERS/Piroschka van de Wouw

THE HAGUE (Reuters) - Over half the member states of the International Criminal Court defended the world's only permanent war crimes tribunal on Tuesday in a diplomatic response to a U.S. threat of sanctions against its employees earlier this month.

A joint statement drafted by Costa Rica and Switzerland was backed by 67 out of 123 of the ICC's members, the first effort to show a united front among members from all continents.