U.S. Sanctions ICC President Tomoko Akane and Senior Trial Lawyer

The United States on Tuesday sanctioned the president of the International Criminal Court, Tomoko Akane of Japan, and one of the court’s senior trial lawyers, Abdoulaye Seye of Senegal, AFP reported from Washington. The designations bar the two from entering the United States and from using the U.S. financial system.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the two “directly engaged” in ICC efforts to investigate, arrest, detain or prosecute officials whose governments have not accepted the court’s jurisdiction, according to AFP. He called the court “corrupt” and “fatally politicized” and said Washington “will not tolerate” what he described as its challenge to state sovereignty. The ICC said measures aimed at its judges and staff “undermine the rule of law,” AFP reported.

The step extends earlier U.S. sanctions on court officials. AFP said they are largely a response to ICC investigations that involve Israel, a close U.S. ally. In 2024 the court issued an arrest warrant for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over the war in Gaza. Netanyahu welcomed Tuesday’s sanctions in a post on X, calling the court a “kangaroo court,” according to a later AFP account.

The Trump administration’s case rests on a long-standing American objection. The United States signed the Rome Statute that created the court but never ratified it, and the administration calls the court politicized. Israel, Russia and China are also outside the court, AFP noted. Khaleej Times, citing AFP, described the court as acting as a last resort when national legal systems are inadequate.

Last month, AFP reported, Washington launched a diplomatic campaign against the court, accusing it of “threatening” Americans and urging partner governments to withdraw. Chad and Venezuela have announced withdrawals. AFP noted that Venezuela has aligned itself with the United States since the capture and ouster of Nicolas Maduro. The ICC has said it is concerned about the withdrawals.

The sanctions also face a challenge in American courts. Four human rights groups sued President Trump last week in a New York court, arguing that the measures prevent war crime victims from seeking justice, AFP said.

The court’s critics and defenders both point to the same backdrop. The ICC issued an arrest warrant for Russian President Vladimir Putin in 2023 over the war in Ukraine, and Moscow answered with its own warrants for senior court officials, including Akane, who is 70, has been a judge since 2018 and has served as president since March 2024. AFP reported that Akane has said the court’s judges are easily replaceable, so targeting them has little value.