US sanctions International Criminal Court president and trial lawyer

What the report says

The Trump administration has expanded its pressure campaign against the International Criminal Court by sanctioning ICC President Tomoko Akane and senior trial lawyer Abdoulaye Seye, according to Al Jazeera. The announcement was made on Tuesday by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who presented the move as part of what the administration says is an effort to weaken or “dismantle” the court.

Al Jazeera reports that the sanctions will freeze any US-based assets the two officials may hold and restrict transactions with them by US entities starting September 17. Akane, a Japanese judge, has led the ICC since March 2024, while Seye is a Senegalese lawyer working at the court. The action adds to a wider sanctions drive that has already targeted more than a dozen ICC judges and prosecutors.

The US government argues that the court overreached by investigating alleged crimes involving the United States and its ally Israel, neither of which is a member of the ICC. The ICC, based in The Hague, has said such pressure threatens judicial independence and the broader rule of law. In June, three ICC judges filed suit against the administration over earlier sanctions, calling them arbitrary. The latest move comes amid continuing disputes over the ICC’s investigations in Afghanistan and its arrest warrants for Israeli officials over the war in Gaza.