Responding to U.S. sanctions, President of the International Criminal Court: Will not give in to external threats

The U.S. government announced sanctions on the International Criminal Court (ICC) on the 9th. The court stated that it "strongly rejects" the U.S. sanctions. President Akane Tomoko said in a statement that the court will not give in to external threats.

The International Criminal Court and its president, Tomoko Akane, issued a statement on the 9th stating that the U.S. sanctions against the institution are "unprecedented" and are "an attack on the foundation of the rule of law and the international legal order, impacting the basic principle that no one is above the law." This sanction is intended to obstruct justice, interfere with the operation of the court, and "intimidate those who work for or cooperate with the court." It is also an attack on the sovereign states that founded the ICC and the victims of atrocities.

Tomoko Akane said in the statement that the ICC "will not back down" and "will not give in to external threats that will only benefit those who have committed the most serious crimes." The court will continue to fully perform its duties, uphold the principles of independence and impartiality, and act only in accordance with the law and evidence.

She said that the Rome Statute on which the ICC was founded is a collective commitment to ensure that serious crimes of concern to the international community cannot go unpunished. She called on countries to take specific actions, including ensuring that the court continues to have the resources and means necessary to carry out its duties. "This is not only to defend a single institution, but also to maintain an international order based on the rule of law." "Now we all must choose between a world in which might makes right, or a future based on the rule of law," she said.