Senegal: U.S. Sanctions Two More International Criminal Court Officials

What the report says

Human Rights Watch said the United States sanctioned two more International Criminal Court officials on August 18, 2026, under an executive order issued by President Donald Trump in February 2025. The two people named were Tomoko Akane, the ICC president from Japan, and Abdoulaye Seye, an ICC senior trial lawyer from Senegal. The action follows earlier US sanctions targeting other ICC personnel.

According to the report, the new designations come amid a wider dispute between the Trump administration and the court over cases involving alleged crimes linked to American and Israeli officials, as well as ICC work in places such as Afghanistan, Palestine, Sudan and Ukraine. Human Rights Watch criticized the move as an attack on international law and urged ICC member states to defend the court’s ability to operate.

The article also notes that on August 11, Human Rights Watch and three partner organizations filed a lawsuit in US federal court challenging the sanctions regime. That case targets sanctions against ICC prosecutors and judges, a UN human rights expert, and three Palestinian human rights groups. The development underscores continuing friction between Washington and international justice institutions, with possible implications for the court’s independence and its efforts to pursue cases involving serious alleged crimes.