The United States announces sanctions against ICC President Tomoko Akagen and senior officials

(Central News Agency, Washington, 18th) The United States today announced sanctions against the Japanese director of the International Criminal Court (ICC) Tomoko Akane and another senior official, becoming the Trump administration's latest move against an international judicial institution that the United States accused of "politicizing".

Agence France-Presse reported that Washington also imposed sanctions on Senegalese senior ICC trial lawyer Abdoulaye Seye.

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated in a statement: "These individuals are directly involved in the International Criminal Court's investigation, arrest, detention or prosecution of government officials of countries that have not agreed to accept the jurisdiction of the International Criminal Court." However, he did not provide specific cases.

The International Criminal Court countered today that the U.S. sanctions "undermine the rule of law," saying that "when judicial officers are threatened when they act in accordance with the law, the international legal order itself is already at risk."

The International Criminal Court was established in 2002 to prosecute individuals accused of the most serious atrocities and crimes. When a country lacks an adequate judicial system to hold people accountable, the International Criminal Court plays the role of the last judicial line of defense.

The United States is not a party to the international treaty establishing the International Criminal Court, but it has imposed sanctions on many of its officials. Related measures prohibit sanctioned individuals from entering the United States and prohibiting them from conducting transactions through the U.S. financial system.

The sanctions are largely in response to an International Criminal Court investigation into U.S. ally Israel. In 2024, the International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu due to Israel's war actions in Gaza.

Netanyahu posted a message on the social platform

The Netherlands, where the International Criminal Court is located, expressed dissatisfaction with the US sanctions. Dutch Foreign Minister Tom Berendsen said the Netherlands "does not agree with the latest sanctions against officials and staff of the International Criminal Court... International courts and arbitration institutions must be free to carry out their duties."

Washington launched a major diplomatic offensive against the ICC last month, accusing the court of "threatening" Americans and calling on allies to withdraw from the court. Chad and Venezuela have announced their withdrawal; the International Criminal Court has expressed concern about these withdrawals, saying that the relevant countries may endanger the international community's joint efforts to pursue justice.

Rubio said: "The Trump administration's position has been clear that the International Criminal Court is a corrupt and heavily politicized supranational court that maliciously abuses its power and exceeds its authority. We will not tolerate its violation of national sovereignty."