ICC says US sanctions 'flagrant attack' on court independence

The International Criminal Court (ICC) strongly condemned the United States' recent sanctions on President Tomoko Akane of Japan, calling it an "unacceptable attack" on the court's independence. President Akane, along with ICC Senior Trial Lawyer Abdoulaye Seye of Senegal, faced U.S. sanctions on Tuesday as part of Washington's campaign against the court, which the U.S. deems "corrupt and fatally politicized."

The ICC, based in The Hague, asserted that these sanctions undermine the rule of law and threaten the independence of impartial judicial institutions. Japan, the ICC's largest funder, also objected to the sanctions, emphasizing the country's consistent support for the court's efforts to prosecute the most serious crimes. The sanctions followed similar measures imposed on other ICC officials, largely in response to the court's investigations involving Israel, a U.S. ally.

The U.S. argued that the sanctioned individuals had engaged in activities supporting the ICC's investigations, which it deemed to be an interference in U.S. domestic affairs. The ICC, established in 2002, prosecutes individuals accused of the most severe atrocities and acts as a last resort when countries fail to hold their own citizens accountable.

U.S. sanctions bar the sanctioned individuals from entering the United States and conducting financial transactions within the U.S. financial system.