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The United States imposed sanctions on Tuesday against International Criminal Court (ICC) President Tomoko Akane of Japan and Senior Trial Lawyer Abdoulaye Seye of Senegal, escalating its campaign against the Hague-based tribunal.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated that the measures target individuals directly involved in ICC efforts to investigate or prosecute officials from non-consenting nations, specifically condemning the court as a politicised body that threatens state sovereignty.
Last month, I launched a diplomatic campaign to dismantle the ICC’s threat to our national sovereignty. The Trump Administration is sanctioning ICC President Tomoko Akane and Senior Trial Lawyer Abdoulaye Seye in our unwavering mission to protect Americans from this sham of a…
— Secretary Marco Rubio (@SecRubio) August 18, 2026
The sanctions bar the officials from entering the United States and block their transactions within the American financial system.
Washington implemented these restrictions largely in response to ICC actions against US allies, including a 2024 arrest warrant issued for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over the war in Gaza.
Netanyahu applauded the action, calling the ICC a “kangaroo court,” while four human rights organisations filed a lawsuit in New York against the Trump administration to challenge the sanction framework.
The ICC strongly condemned the action, warning that sanctions against judicial actors directly undermine the rule of law and endanger the international legal order.
Dutch Foreign Minister Tom Berendsen also expressed disapproval, emphasising that international tribunals must carry out their mandates freely.
Meanwhile, Human Rights Watch criticised the sanctions as a direct attempt to shield US and Israeli officials from accountability for serious crimes.
