US sanctions ICC president and official over Israel warrants

The US Treasury Department on Tuesday placed International Criminal Court President Tomoko Akane and senior official Abdoulaye Seye on its sanctions list, targeting the court's leadership under an executive order signed by President Donald Trump in February. Akane, a Japanese national who assumed the presidency in 2024, and Seye, a Senegalese official, were added to the Specially Designated Nationals List, which blocks any US assets and prohibits Americans from transacting with them.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio accused the two officials of directly engaging in the ICC's efforts to investigate and prosecute officials whose governments have not consented to the court's jurisdiction. "Our whole of government campaign to dismantle the threat posed by the ICC to national sovereignty will be sweeping and we expect more countries to join our campaign by ending their funding and participation in this politicized and unaccountable court," he said.

Court defies pressure

Akane, the sixth president in the court's history and the first Japanese national to hold the post, has repeatedly criticized the sanctions campaign since it began. Speaking to the Assembly of States Parties in December, she said the measures would not alter how judges interpret their mandate. "We will never accept any kind of pressures from anyone on issues of interpretation of the statutory framework and adjudication of cases," Akane told the assembly, adding that the court's "independence and impartiality are our polar stars and remain unaffected."

Background on dispute

The sanctions follow the ICC's issuance of arrest warrants in November 2024 for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant over alleged war crimes in Gaza. The US and Israel are not parties to the Rome Statute, and Washington has intensified pressure on the court since the warrants were issued. The ICC has not yet issued a statement on the latest designations.