The United States on Tuesday imposed sanctions on International Criminal Court (ICC) President Tomoko Akane of Japan and senior ICC trial lawyer Abdoulaye Seye of Senegal, escalating Washingtonās campaign against the Hague-based court.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio accused the two officials of taking part in efforts by the ICC to investigate, arrest, detain or prosecute officials from countries that have not accepted the courtās jurisdiction. He did not provide specific examples.
The ICC criticised the sanctions, saying they āundermine the rule of lawā.
āWhen judicial actors are threatened for applying the law, it is the international legal order itself that is placed at risk,ā the court said.
Founded in 2002, the ICC prosecutes individuals accused of serious international crimes and serves as a court of last resort when national legal systems are unable or unwilling to hold perpetrators accountable.
The United States is not a party to the treaty establishing the ICC and has previously sanctioned several of its officials. The latest measures prevent the targeted individuals from entering the US and restrict their access to the American financial system.
Washingtonās actions are largely linked to ICC investigations involving Israel, a close US ally. In 2024, the court issued an arrest warrant for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over the war in Gaza.
Netanyahu welcomed the latest US sanctions, describing the ICC as āa kangaroo court that cloaks its abuse of power in the language of international lawā.
The Netherlands, which hosts the ICC in The Hague, also criticised the sanctions. Dutch Foreign Minister Tom Berendsen said his government ādisapproves of the latest sanctions against officials and staff of the ICC,ā stressing that international courts must be able to carry out their mandates independently.
US pressure on ICC
Washington intensified its campaign against the ICC last month, accusing the court of threatening Americans and urging other countries to distance themselves from the institution. Chad and Venezuela have already announced their withdrawal.
The ICC has expressed concern over the withdrawals, warning that they could weaken international efforts to pursue justice for serious crimes.
The United States signed the Rome Statute that created the ICC but never ratified it. Israel, Russia and China are also not members of the court.
Rubio said the Trump administration considers the ICC āa corrupt and fatally politicised supranational courtā that has exceeded its authority and threatened state sovereignty.
Four human rights organisations also sued US President Donald Trump in a New York court last week over sanctions targeting the ICC, arguing that the measures prevent victims of war crimes from seeking justice.
Human Rights Watch condemned the latest sanctions, with its Middle East and North Africa director Balkees Jarrah calling them an attempt to shield US and Israeli officials accused of serious crimes from accountability.
Akane also targeted by Russia
Akane has previously faced retaliation from Russia. In 2023, the ICC issued an arrest warrant for Russian President Vladimir Putin over the war in Ukraine, after which Moscow issued warrants against senior ICC officials, including Akane.
Akane, 70, became an ICC judge in 2018 and was elected president of the court in March 2024. Following Russiaās action, she said judges were replaceable and questioned the value of targeting them.
Japan objects to sanctions
Japan on Wednesday criticised the US sanctions against Akane, describing the measures as āvery unfortunateā.
Japanese Foreign Ministry press secretary Toshihiro Kitamura said Tokyo had consistently supported the ICC in prosecuting serious international crimes and upholding the rule of law.
āFrom this standpoint, the announced measures are very unfortunate.ā
Japan is the ICCās largest financial contributor and a close US ally. Tokyo has previously expressed concern over Washingtonās actions against the court and reiterated its support for the ICC as a permanent international criminal tribunal.
