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US sanctions ICC leaders
The United States imposed sanctions on Tuesday on International Criminal Court President Tomoko Akane, a Japanese judge, and on Abdoulaye Seye, a senior trial lawyer and a Senegalese national, as part of Washington’s campaign against the Hague-based court.
“described Washington's decision to impose sanctions on the International Criminal Court's Japanese president and a senior trial lawyer as "very unfortunate."”
Secretary of State Marco Rubio said he was imposing sanctions on Akane and Seye under a Trump executive order last year authorizing sanctions against the ICC, and Rubio said: "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."
Japan’s foreign ministry responded on Wednesday by describing the sanctions as "very unfortunate," and it said Japan has consistently supported the ICC in its efforts to prosecute and punish the most serious crimes of concern to the international community.
The ICC condemned the move, saying in a statement that the measures undermine the rule of law, including the court’s warning: "When judicial actors are threatened for applying the law, it is the international legal order itself that is placed at risk."
Allies split over ICC
The sanctions also drew a European response, with Dutch Foreign Minister Tom Berendsen saying on X that the Netherlands opposed the latest U.S. sanctions and invited Akane to "discuss our continued support."
In the same dispute, the ICC said the U.S. move threatened the court’s independence, warning: "These sanctions are a flagrant attack against the independence of an impartial judicial institution," as Reuters reported.
Japan’s reaction was echoed in other coverage, with the Japanese foreign ministry stating the sanctions were "very unfortunate" and adding that Japan would remain committed to strengthening the rule of law while maintaining communication with related countries.
The U.S. measures were described as freezing U.S. assets and largely shutting sanctioned individuals out of the U.S. financial system, which Reuters said is closely connected to most international banks.
What’s at stake next
The ICC’s leadership and staff faced further legal and diplomatic pressure, with Reuters reporting that the ICC on Wednesday said the sanctions took the number of sanctioned staff members to 13, including nine out of eighteen judges, both deputy prosecutors, the former prosecutor and a trial attorney.
“The ICC on Wednesday said it "deplores" the latest move by Washington”
Reuters also reported that at least five of the court's 125 member states had announced plans to withdraw in recent months amid escalated U.S. pressure, and it linked the escalation to Washington’s campaign against the Hague-based court.
In parallel, the U.S. Treasury Department issued a general license on Tuesday authorizing the wind-down of transactions involving Akane and Seye through September 17, setting a specific timeline for financial activity.
The dispute was framed by the U.S. as a defense of sovereignty, with Rubio saying in a press statement: "We will not tolerate its assault on state sovereignty," while the ICC said the measures place the international legal order at risk when judicial actors are threatened for applying the law.
