US Sanctions ICC President and Senior Prosecutor

The administration of US President Donald Trump has imposed sanctions on International Criminal Court President Tomoko Akane and senior trial lawyer Abdoulaye Seye, escalating Washington's campaign against the tribunal.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced the measures on Tuesday, saying they were part of the Trump administration's effort to dismantle what it described as an illegitimate and politically motivated court.

Rubio accused the ICC of threatening US sovereignty and said Washington was acting to protect Americans from what he called a "sham" judicial institution.

Akane, a Japanese judge, has led the ICC since being elected president in March 2024. Seye, a Senegalese national, serves as a senior trial lawyer at the court.

The sanctions are scheduled to take effect on September 17 and will freeze any assets the two officials hold in the United States. They will also prevent US-based individuals and organisations from carrying out financial transactions with them.

The latest measures add to a growing list of ICC judges and prosecutors targeted by Washington. More than a dozen court officials have already been sanctioned, while financial institutions have reportedly restricted their access to international banking services.

The US has also imposed restrictions on human rights organisations and individuals associated with the ICC, including United Nations special rapporteur Francesca Albanese.

The sanctions have faced strong opposition from the court. In June, three ICC judges filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration, describing the measures as an "arbitrary and capricious" attempt to undermine the tribunal's independence.

The ICC has repeatedly condemned Washington's actions, warning that targeting judges and prosecutors for carrying out their legal duties threatens the wider international justice system.

"When judicial actors are threatened for applying the law," the court said, "the international legal order itself" is put at risk.

The Trump administration maintains that the ICC has exceeded its authority by investigating alleged crimes involving the United States and Israel, neither of which is a member of the court.

Supporters of the ICC, however, argue that the tribunal can exercise jurisdiction over crimes committed within the territory of its 125 member states, even when suspects are nationals of countries that have not joined the court.

The ICC was established to investigate and prosecute some of the world's most serious crimes, including genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity.

In 2020, the court opened an investigation into alleged US war crimes in Afghanistan, where American forces had conducted a lengthy military campaign before withdrawing in 2021.

The tribunal has also targeted senior Israeli officials. In 2024, it issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defence Minister Yoav Gallant over alleged war crimes linked to Israel's military campaign in Gaza.

Washington has strongly opposed both the Afghanistan investigation and the proceedings involving Israeli officials.

In July, Rubio described the ICC as an "intolerable threat" to US and Israeli sovereignty and pledged that the administration would continue efforts to dismantle the court.

Several countries, including Chad and Venezuela, have since announced plans to leave the ICC, with critics arguing that US pressure has contributed to the decisions.

Rubio signalled on Tuesday that further action against the tribunal could follow, accusing it of being corrupt, politically driven and of abusing its authority.

He said the Trump administration would not accept what it considers an assault on national sovereignty, signalling that Washington's confrontation with the ICC is likely to continue.