U.S. sanctions ICC chief Tomoko Akane of Japan
The U.S. government has imposed sanctions on International Criminal Court President Tomoko Akane and a senior trial lawyer, citing the court's politicized nature. The ICC condemned the move as an attack on the rule of law, while Israeli leadership praised the sanctions as a response to the court's overreach.
Why it matters
This escalation highlights the deepening rift between the U.S. and international judicial bodies, particularly regarding the ICC's jurisdiction over U.S. allies like Israel.
The United States on Tuesday (August 18, 2026) imposed sanctions against International Criminal Court President Tomoko Akane of Japan and another senior official as part of its campaign against the body that it accuses of being "politicized."
Washington also slapped sanctions on ICC Senior Trial Lawyer Abdoulaye Seye of Senegal in the Trump administration's latest salvo against The Hague-based court.
"These individuals have directly engaged in efforts by the ICC to investigate, arrest, detain, or prosecute officials whose government has not consented to ICC jurisdiction," U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in a statement, without providing examples.
The ICC retorted Tuesday (August 18), saying the U.S. sanctions "undermine the rule of law."
"When judicial actors are threatened for applying the law, it is the international legal order itself that is placed at risk," the court said in a statement.
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