Trump Administration Sanctions ICC President And Senior Prosecutor Over Court Cases
The United States has sanctioned International Criminal Court (ICC) President Tomoko Akane and senior trial lawyer Abdoulaye Seye, escalating the Trump administration’s campaign against the Hague based court.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced the measures on Tuesday, accusing Akane and Seye of supporting ICC efforts to investigate, arrest, detain or prosecute officials from countries that have not accepted the court’s jurisdiction. Rubio said Washington would not accept what he called an attack on US sovereignty.
The sanctions freeze any assets the two officials hold in the United States or that come under US financial control. They also cut them off from the US financial system. A US licence allows transactions involving Akane to be wound down until September 17.
Akane, a Japanese judge, is the ICC’s president, while Seye is a Senegalese national and senior trial lawyer. Seye was part of the prosecution team that sought an arrest warrant for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. He has also been nominated for election as an ICC judge.
The latest action is part of a wider Trump administration effort to weaken the ICC. Washington has previously sanctioned other court officials over cases involving Israel and the United States. The US and Israel are not members of the ICC.
The court was created in 2002 to prosecute individuals accused of serious crimes including war crimes, genocide and crimes against humanity. Under the Rome Statute, it can in some cases investigate crimes committed in the territory of a member state even when the accused person is from a country that is not a member.
Washington has strongly rejected that position. In July, the US Justice Department told Akane that the United States does not accept ICC jurisdiction over Americans and would not cooperate with ICC investigations or proceedings involving US citizens.
The Trump administration has also argued that the ICC could threaten US personnel involved in immigration policies, military operations and strikes against boats suspected of carrying drugs. Rubio has said Washington wants to increase diplomatic pressure on ICC member states and encourage countries to leave the court.
The ICC condemned the latest sanctions, calling them a flagrant attack on judicial independence and warning that threats against judges and prosecutors put the wider international legal order at risk.
Japan, meanwhile, criticised the US decision against Akane, calling it “very unfortunate” and reaffirming its support for the ICC. The Netherlands, which hosts the court in The Hague, has also opposed the US move and backed the court.
The latest sanctions deepen the US fight with the ICC and add to growing pressure on the court from Washington, while several member states continue to support its role in prosecuting serious international crimes.