US announces new sanctions on top ICC figures
The Trump administration has imposed sanctions on the president and a senior lawyer of the International Criminal Court (ICC) in response to the court's investigations into US and Israeli officials. The ICC has condemned the move, stating it undermines the rule of law.
Why it matters
This represents a significant escalation in the conflict between the US government and international judicial bodies regarding state sovereignty and jurisdiction.
Share Save Add as preferred on Google Tom Bateman State department correspondent Getty Images Judge Tomoko Akane began her three-year term as ICC president in 2024. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has announced sanctions against the president and a senior lawyer of the International Criminal Court (ICC).
The move is the Trump administration's latest escalation in its campaign to "dismantle" the court which is empowered by more than 120 member countries to investigate war crimes.
Rubio said the US was sanctioning ICC President Tomoko Akane of Japan and ICC Senior Trial Lawyer Abdoulaye Seye of Senegal for engaging in the ICC's efforts to "prosecute officials whose government has not consented to ICC jurisdiction".
The ICC said it stands behinds its staff and believe that measures such as those announced by Rubio "undermine the rule of law."
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