THE HAGUE: The International Criminal Court (ICC) has strongly condemned fresh US sanctions against its president, Tomoko Akane, describing the move as a “flagrant attack” on the independence of the international judicial institution.
Washington imposed sanctions on Akane, a Japanese national, and Senegalese trial lawyer Abdoulaye Seye on Tuesday as part of its campaign against the ICC, which the United States has described as a “corrupt and fatally politicised” body.
The sanctions prompted widespread condemnation from international organisations and European leaders, with the United Nations human rights chief, the European Union, Germany, the Netherlands, Spain and Japan voicing support for the court and its officials.
In a statement, the ICC said: “These sanctions are a flagrant attack against the independence of an impartial judicial institution.”
“Such measures targeting judges, prosecutors and staff… undermine the rule of law.”
UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk called on Washington to reverse the sanctions and urged countries to protect ICC officials from reprisals.
“Unacceptable new sanctions imposed by the USA against the International Criminal Court’s President and a prosecution staff member must be lifted,” Turk said.
He renewed his call for states to defend institutions established to uphold human rights and the rule of law and urged them “to protect court officials targeted by such reprisals”.
EU voices support
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and European Council President Antonio Costa also expressed their support for the ICC, its president and officials.
In separate posts on X, the two European leaders said they stood “firmly with the ICC, President Tomoko Akane and the officials who uphold its mission”.
They stressed that judges and officials of the court must be allowed to carry out their responsibilities independently and without external interference or pressure.
Germany’s foreign ministry also described the independence of the ICC as being “of central importance”, while the Netherlands, which hosts the court in The Hague, expressed its disapproval of the US action.
Spain joined the criticism, calling the ICC “the cornerstone of the international criminal justice system”.
Japan objects to sanctions
Japan also objected to Washington’s latest measures, reiterating its longstanding support for the ICC and its role in prosecuting serious international crimes.
The Japanese government said it has “consistently supported the ICC… in its efforts to prosecute and punish the most serious crimes of concern to the international community and to uphold the rule of law.”
The latest sanctions follow earlier US measures against several ICC officials and are widely seen as linked to the court’s investigations involving Israel, a key US ally.
