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Sanctions on ICC Leaders
The Trump administration imposed sanctions on International Criminal Court (ICC) President Tomoko Akane and senior trial lawyer Abdoulaye Seye, escalating Washington’s campaign to “dismantle” the Hague-based tribunal.
“The sanctions freeze any assets they may have in the US and also limit US-based entities from conducting transactions with them, starting on September 17.”
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the sanctions target Akane and Seye for engaging in ICC efforts to “investigate, arrest, detain, or prosecute officials whose government has not consented to ICC jurisdiction.”
The sanctions freeze any assets they may have in the US and limit US-based entities from conducting transactions with them, starting on September 17.
The ICC said it stands behind its staff and believes the measures “undermine the rule of law,” while the US argued the court overstepped its authority by opening investigations into actions involving the US and Israel.
The BBC reported that the move is part of a wider escalation, with Rubio also accusing the ICC of being “a corrupt and fatally politicized supranational court” and saying “We will not tolerate its assault on state sovereignty.”
ICC Pushes Back
The ICC denounced the sanctions, saying that measures targeting its personnel “undermine the rule of law,” and it warned that threatening judicial actors for applying the law places “the international legal order itself” at risk.
In response to the US move, the ICC said it “stands firmly behind its personnel and behind victims of unimaginable atrocities,” while the Trump administration framed the sanctions as protecting Americans from what Rubio called “this sham of a court.”
Human Rights Watch’s Middle East and North Africa director Balkees Jarrah said the sanctions were “just the latest example of the Trump administration’s utter contempt for international law.”
The BBC reported that the US has already announced sanctions on at least 11 ICC officials, including nine judges and the chief prosecutor, with asset freezes, travel bans, and restrictions on services from U.S. companies.
The BBC also noted that Netanyahu has denied allegations of war crimes and accused the court of being motivated by antisemitism, as the sanctions were issued in retaliation for ICC investigations into US personnel in Afghanistan and warrants against top Israeli officials.
Withdrawal and Next Steps
Rubio said the sanctions are part of a broader effort to pressure countries to withdraw from the ICC, and he framed the court as “a corrupt and fatally politicized supranational court” that has “maliciously abused its authority and exceeded its mandate.”
““We will not tolerate its assault on state sovereignty.””
The Al Jazeera report said Rubio doubled down on criticism in Tuesday’s statement, writing “We will not tolerate its assault on state sovereignty,” while the ICC said the threat to judicial actors puts the “international legal order itself” at risk.
The BBC reported that last month Rubio called on the ICC’s 125 member countries to withdraw from the court “brick by brick,” and a US official said Washington would “watch with interest” who heeded the call.
CNN said Rubio expected “more countries to join our campaign by ending their funding and participation in this politicized and unaccountable court,” and he warned that “The ICC’s ability to target American nationals and those of other non-States Parties must end.”
The BBC added that the ICC’s mandate includes investigating genocide, crimes against humanity, and war crimes, and it described how the court opened a probe into allegations of US war crimes in Afghanistan in 2020 and issued arrest warrants for Benjamin Netanyahu and Yoav Gallant in 2024.
