ICC judge on what U.S. sanctions mean for her and global courts
International Criminal Court judge Kimberly Prost details how U.S. sanctions have disrupted her personal and professional life, including loss of access to digital services. The sanctions, stemming from an investigation into U.S. actions in Afghanistan, have caused widespread overcompliance by private companies.
Why it matters
The case illustrates the extraterritorial reach of U.S. sanctions and the 'chilling effect' they have on global corporate behavior.
If you want to see how far U.S. sanctions can reach, ask Kimberly Prost's Alexa.
After the United States sanctioned her, the Canadian judge at the International Criminal Court began losing access to services from companies in different countries. Her credit cards were also canceled.
"You start to lose services from American companies, Amazon, Google, potentially Apple, whatever it may be," she told Morning Edition . "Completely randomly, though, you don't know when something's going to happen."
One of those moments came during an ordinary moment at home.
"I went home and Alexa wouldn't talk to me," she told NPR's Steve Inskeep.
Her credit cards, issued in the Netherlands and Canada, were canceled. She has managed to keep some bank accounts, but says her banking services are extremely limited and even small transfers can be blocked.
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