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Sanctions on ICC Leaders
The Trump administration imposed sanctions on International Criminal Court (ICC) President Tomoko Akane and ICC Senior Trial Lawyer Abdoulaye Seye, with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio announcing the designations on Tuesday.
“These individuals have directly engaged in efforts by the ICC to investigate, arrest, detain, or prosecute officials whose government has not consented to ICC jurisdiction.”
Rubio said the US acted under authority of an executive order signed by President Donald Trump and that "These individuals" had "directly engaged in efforts by the ICC to investigate, arrest, detain, or prosecute officials whose government has not consented to ICC jurisdiction."
The sanctions bar Akane and Seye from entering the US and from making transactions within the US financial system, according to the ICC’s reaction described by Reuters and the BBC.
The BBC said the move is part of a Trump administration campaign to "dismantle" the court, which is empowered by more than 120 member countries to investigate war crimes.
Rubio vs. ICC
Rubio accused the ICC of being "a corrupt and fatally politicized supranational court" that "maliciously abused its authority and exceeded its mandate," and said the US would not tolerate what he called its "assault on state sovereignty."
In response, the ICC said it remains "undeterred" and stands behind its staff, while also rejecting Washington’s approach as undermining the rule of law.
The BBC reported that the ICC said measures such as those announced by Rubio "undermine the rule of law," and that when judicial actors are threatened for applying the law, "it is the international legal order itself that is placed at risk."
The Hill reported the ICC’s statement that "measures targeting judges, prosecutors and staff who work towards the fulfilment of the mandate that was conferred to the ICC by States undermine the rule of law."
Legal Fight and Fallout
The sanctions deepen a broader dispute that the BBC linked to earlier US actions, including sanctions on at least 11 ICC officials and retaliation for ICC investigations into US personnel in Afghanistan and warrants issued against top Israeli officials including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
“The Trump administration has already announced sanctions on at least 11 ICC officials, including nine judges and the chief prosecutor.”
The BBC also said the Trump administration had already announced sanctions on at least 11 ICC officials, including nine judges and the chief prosecutor, with sanctions including asset freezes, travel bans, and restrictions on services from U.S. companies.
Human rights groups challenged the campaign in court, and the BBC quoted Liz Evenson of Human Rights Watch saying the Trump administration seeks "a get-out-of-jail-free card for whomever it chooses."
The Hill added that three ICC judges filed a lawsuit in New York in June arguing the sanctions levied against them are unlawful, while the ICC said it would continue to fully discharge its mandate with independence and impartiality.
