The United States has imposed sanctions on the president of the International Criminal Court (ICC) and a senior trial lawyer at the court, a move that has drawn sharp criticism from the tribunal, its member states, and human rights groups. The sanctions, announced by U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Tuesday, target ICC president Tomoko Akane, a Japanese national, and Abdoulaye Seye, a senior trial lawyer from Senegal. The measures freeze any assets the two hold in U.S. jurisdictions or that come into contact with the U.S. financial system, and prevent them and their families from entering the United States, according to reports from four news outlets covering the story.
The ICC responded on Wednesday by condemning the sanctions as a "flagrant attack" on the tribunal's independence, vowing to continue its work. In a statement, the court said that "when judicial actors are threatened for applying the law, it is the international legal order itself that is placed at risk." The court also said it "will continue to fully discharge its mandate with independence and impartiality."
The sanctions are the latest step in a sustained campaign by the Trump administration against the ICC, which the United States accuses of overstepping its mandate by investigating officials from countries that are not members of the court, such as Israel and the United States. Rubio, in announcing the sanctions, called the ICC "a corrupt and fatally politicized supranational court that has maliciously abused its authority and exceeded its mandate." He said he was acting under an executive order issued last year that authorizes sanctions against the court. "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 in a statement quoted by the South China Morning Post.
The sanctions come weeks after Rubio announced a "sweeping campaign to dismantle the threat posed by the International Criminal Court to U.S. sovereignty." As part of that campaign, he said he would pressure the court's 125 member states to withdraw, sanction organizations that work with the court, and ban staff from traveling to the United States. Since then, Venezuela and Chad have announced plans to leave the court, bringing the number of countries to pull out in the past year to five, according to reports from CP24 and The Guardian.
The Trump administration has now sanctioned nine of the ICC's 18 judges, both deputy prosecutors, its former chief prosecutor, and one other prosecution office staffer, the court said. The practical impact of the sanctions on individuals can be severe. Canadian judge Kimberly Prost, who was sanctioned last year, lost access to her credit cards and Amazon's Alexa stopped responding to her, according to reports.
The ICC's oversight body, the Assembly of States Parties, called the sanctions an "escalation" that risks undermining ongoing investigations and impeding global efforts to ensure justice for victims.
Japan's response
Japan, the largest financial contributor to the ICC, expressed regret over the sanctions, which target a Japanese national. Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi called the move "deeply regrettable" in comments to reporters, according to the Manila Bulletin, while CP24 quoted her as calling it "very unfortunate." Takaichi said Japan would respond while continuing to communicate closely with the United States and other countries involved. The Foreign Ministry's press secretary, Toshihiro Kitamura, issued a statement of disappointment, saying Japan has consistently supported the ICC in its efforts to prosecute serious crimes and uphold the rule of law.
The sanctions took the Japanese government by surprise, according to the Manila Bulletin, which cited a senior Foreign Ministry official as saying "the United States likely wants to weaken the ICC at any cost." A government source speculated that Trump may fear he will also face prosecution. The reports also noted that Japan's alliance with the U.S. is the cornerstone of its postwar foreign policy, but Tokyo has had difficulty managing the relationship under Trump. Some ruling party members argued against escalation, with former Defense Minister Gen Nakatani demanding the U.S. withdraw the sanctions, and an unnamed Liberal Democratic Party veteran saying "Washington has crossed the line." Opposition leader Yuichiro Tamaki of the Democratic Party for the People called the sanctions "outrageous and intolerable" on X, urging the government to support the ICC.
European support and legal challenge
The Netherlands and Germany have thrown their weight behind the court. Dutch Foreign Minister Tom Berendsen said on X that "international courts and tribunals must be able to freely carry out their mandates," and invited Akane for talks "to discuss our continued support." German foreign office spokesman Martin Giese said the ICC is "fulfilling its mission exactly as intended" by holding to account perpetrators of grave crimes.
Human Rights Watch also joined the criticism. Balkees Jarrah, the group's Middle East and North Africa director, called the sanctions "the latest example of the Trump administration's utter contempt for international law and a naked attempt to shield American and Israeli officials implicated in serious crimes from justice." Last week, Human Rights Watch and three other advocacy groups sued the Trump administration in a New York court to challenge its campaign against the ICC. The lawsuit, filed in the southern district of New York, alleges that Trump's executive order and the sanctions represent a "blatantly illegal attack on international justice."
The ICC, established in 2002 to prosecute war crimes, genocide, and crimes against humanity, is not a member of the United States. The sanctions against Akane and Seye are part of a broader escalation that has seen the administration vow to use "all the tools" to "dismantle the ICC," a threat that has already prompted several countries to announce their withdrawal from the court.