Justice Under Pressure: ICC President Targeted by US Sanctions

The Trump administration on Tuesday (18/8) imposed sanctions on two senior officials of the International Criminal Court (ICC), including the court’s president, as Washington intensifies its campaign against the Hague-based tribunal. The sanctions target ICC President Tomoko Akane of Japan and ICC Senior Trial Lawyer Abdoulaye Seye of Senegal, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in a statement, accusing both of being “directly engaged in ICC efforts to investigate, arrest, detain, or prosecute officials whose governments do not consent to ICC jurisdiction.”

“The ICC has repeatedly attempted to assert authority over US citizens and other nationals of countries that have not consented to its jurisdiction or ratified the Rome Statute,” Rubio said. “Such efforts set a dangerous precedent for all nations,” he added.

The sanctions generally prohibit US citizens from transacting with Akane and Seye, and effectively bar both officials from accessing the US financial system.

The United States is not a party to the Rome Statute, the treaty that established the ICC. Washington rejects ICC efforts to exercise jurisdiction over citizens of non-member states, including US personnel and Israeli officials.

Tensions escalated after the ICC issued arrest warrants in 2024 against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and then-Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant over alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity related to the Gaza conflict.

The ICC maintains that it has jurisdiction over alleged crimes committed within the territory of a member state, regardless of the nationality of the suspect.