US sanctions ICC chief Tomoko Akane of Japan

The United States has imposed sanctions on International Criminal Court (ICC) President Tomoko Akane of Japan and another senior official, as well as on ICC senior trial lawyer Abdoulaye Seye of Senegal. These measures are part of the US's campaign against the ICC, which it accuses of being politicized. The US Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated that these individuals have participated in the ICC's efforts to investigate, arrest, detain, or prosecute officials whose governments have not consented to ICC jurisdiction.

The ICC has responded to the sanctions, stating that they undermine the rule of law, as when judicial actors are threatened for applying the law, it risks placing the international legal order itself at risk. The US, which is not a party to the Rome Statute that established the ICC, has previously imposed sanctions against several of the court's officials.

The sanctions are a response to ICC investigations targeting Israel, a US ally. The Netherlands, where the ICC is based, disapproves of the latest sanctions against officials and staff of the ICC, emphasizing the need for international courts and tribunals to be able to freely carry out their mandates.