The president of the International Criminal Court on Monday criticized the United States and Russia for interfering with its investigations, calling attacks on the court "appalling."

"The court is being threatened with draconian economic sanctions by another permanent member of the Security Council as if it was a terrorist organization," Judge Tomoko Akane, who is also the president of the ICC, said in her address to the institution's annual meeting.

Akane was referring to remarks made by US Senator Lindsey Graham, whose Republican party will control both branches of Congress in Washington come January, and who called the court a "dangerous joke."

Graham calling on the legislature of the federal US government to sanction the ICC.

"To any all —, Canada, Britain, Germany, France, if you try to help the ICC — we're going to sanction you," Graham said on the broadcaster Fox News.

Akane said these threats "jeopardize" the ICC's "very existence," without naming Russia or the United States, but referring to the two nations as permanent Security Council members.

'Pivotal time, unprecedented expectations,' says ICC's Khan

"It's clear by any metric, by any benchmark, this assembly is at a pivotal time," ICC prosecutor Karim Khan said in his speech at the opening of the conference which began on Monday and will last five days.

"We are facing unprecedented challenges. We see civil society victims, survivors, humanity at large, I think have unprecedented expectations."

Russia issued an arrest warrant for ICC chief Prosecutor Karim Khan two months after the court in The Hague issued a warrant for Russian President Vladimir Putin.

US sanction on ICC in response to Netanyahu arrest warrant

In June, the US House of Representatives passed a bill to sanction the ICC after Khan issued an arrest warrant against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his then-defense chief, Yoav Gallant.

"The Court has been subjected to attacks seeking to undermine its legitimacy and ability to administer justice and realize international law and fundamental rights; coercive measures, threats, pressure and acts of sabotage," Akane said, adding that additional warrants had been handed out against court employees.

The ICC was established in 2002 to prosecute war crimes, crimes against humanity, genocide and the crime of aggression when member states are unwilling to do so themselves.

jsi/rc (AP, Reuters)