The French judge Nicolas Guillou just confirmed that Visa and Mastercard blocked his cards, leaving him largely cut off from the modern financial system. This blockage is a direct consequence of sweeping financial sanctions imposed on him by the United States government, as he served on the International Criminal Court (ICC) pre-trial chamber panel that issued an illegal arrest warrant for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
The U.S. State Department placed Guillou and several other ICC officials on a comprehensive financial sanctions blacklist and prohibited any American company or individual from providing services to a blacklisted individual. Because global credit card networks like Visa and Mastercard are headquartered in the United States, they were legally forced to disable his cards immediately. Even non-American banks have frozen his accounts or restricted his access out of fear of facing secondary U.S. penalties. He has been completely blocked from digital ecosystems and online platforms, including Amazon, Airbnb, Booking.com, Expedia, PayPal, and Apple ID.
In media interviews with outlets like France Télévisions and Le Monde, Guillou described his situation as a form of "civil death" that has sent him "30 years back in time" to a pre-digital world. Guillou stated that he is being "treated like a criminal".
Despite extensive diplomatic pressure and letters sent by French President Emmanuel Macron requesting the removal of these sanctions, U.S. authorities have refused to lift them.
Also International Criminal Court (ICC) Chief Prosecutor Karim Khan has explicitly stated that he is facing an intense campaign of intimidation, political pressure, and targeted retaliation. Khan has publicly detailed extensive pushback stemming directly from his decision to seek and secure arrest warrants against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Khan has been on a voluntary leave of absence pending an inquiry into allegations of sexual misconduct, which he strenuously denies. Khan and his supporters have described the timing and unique nature of the disciplinary proceedings as a "dangerous attempt by states to remove him" and an effort to destroy his credibility because of the Israel investigation. Khan described himself as a "guinea pig".
