US to levy sanctions against the president and a prosecutor of international criminal court

The United States has imposed sanctions on two key officials at the International Criminal Court (ICC) in a bid to curb the court's influence on American sovereignty and its ability to hold American officials accountable. The sanctions target Tomoko Akane, the ICC president from Japan, and Abdoulaye Seye, an ICC prosecutor from Senegal.

The US Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, declared the ICC a "corrupt and fatally politicized supranational court" that has "maliciously abused its authority and exceeded its mandate." The sanctions were announced after the state department launched efforts to "dismantle the threat" posed by the ICC to US sovereignty, aiming to "disable the ICC’s ability to operate, target American servicemen or officials, or otherwise threaten American sovereignty."

The US has previously sanctioned other ICC officials, including Karim Khan, who sought arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant over war crimes during the Gaza conflict. Israeli officials have expressed concerns that the ICC may seek additional arrest warrants for ministers and military officials involved in violence against Palestinians in the West Bank.

The sanctions mark the US's latest effort to counter the ICC's jurisdiction, which neither the US nor Israel recognize. Four human rights groups have filed a lawsuit against President Trump for targeting the ICC, claiming that the sanctions prevent victims of war crimes from seeking justice. The US and Israel are not member states of the ICC and do not recognize its jurisdiction.