UN Vote: Trinidad Abstains on ICC Resolution

Trinidad and Tobago abstained on Thursday from a United Nations resolution supporting the International Criminal Court. The vote marks the first time the Caribbean nation has not backed a major action by the tribunal. The resolution concerned the court's annual report on its work monitoring war crimes and related offenses globally.

The measure passed with 93 votes in favor. Thirteen nations voted against the resolution, while 36 abstained. The United States, Russia, Israel, and Argentina cast the negative votes. Trinidad’s abstention placed it in the same category as the 35 other nations that chose not to support the text.

The shift in voting behavior follows a similar move less than two weeks ago. At that time, Trinidad joined the United States and other supportive nations in voting against the lifting of the decades-long economic embargo on Cuba. The country’s new posture contrasts with its long-standing association with the ICC.

Trinidad’s historical support for the court is rooted in the efforts of former President and Prime Minister Arthur Robinson. Robinson served as one of the court’s early judges and was widely credited with global advocacy that helped establish the body more than 20 years ago. He died more than a decade ago, but his legacy had made Trinidadian support for the ICC a foregone conclusion until this week.

The United States has led a campaign to undermine the court’s authority. The administration argues the ICC lacks the power to charge its own military and personnel. This stance follows military actions abroad, including the fatal bombing of a school in Iran earlier this year, which killed dozens of children. In response to these perceived overreach, the US has sanctioned nearly 20 ICC judges.

Neighboring Caribbean nations adopted varied positions during the vote. Guyana and Barbados voted in favor of the resolution. Jamaica, Antigua and Dominica did not have delegates present when the roll was called. Antigua and Dominica face pressure from Washington to comply with political edicts, including accepting large numbers of non-national deportees.

The State Department has imposed severe restrictions on tourist visas for nationals of Antigua and Dominica. Recent reports indicated that no such visas were issued to applicants from those two countries up to earlier this year.