ICC president decries being sanctioned: ‘Demise of international rule of law’
The newly appointed President of the International criminal Court (ICC),Tomoko Akane,has condemned efforts by the U.S. to dismantle the organization, following sanctions imposed by the U.S. State Department against her and other ICC officials. the sanctions target Akane and ICC senior lawyer Abdoulaye Seye,accusing them of engaging in activities related to investigations and prosecutions that oppose U.S. interests. Akane expressed that she was not surprised by the sanctions but warned they could threaten the international rule of law.
The ICC responded by condemning the sanctions as an attack on judicial independence, while the U.S. government argues that the ICC seeks to undermine state sovereignty and has politicized its authority. Japan and other countries have expressed concerns but remain committed to the rule of law. The sanctions have significant international financial implications, affecting the ability of ICC officials and associated judicial members to access banking services. Several ICC judges are challenging the sanctions through legal action.
The U.S.,which has never been a member of the ICC,continues efforts led by figures like Secretary of state Marco Rubio to encourage member states to leave the organization,citing concerns over its legitimacy and actions. In 2024, the ICC issued an arrest warrant for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on war crimes charges, prompting mixed responses from member states, with some European countries refusing to execute the warrant. Netanyahu condemned the ICC’s actions, calling it a “kangaroo court” that undermines justice. tensions between the U.S. and ICC reflect ongoing disputes over international law and sovereignty.
The newly sanctioned president of the International Criminal Court is decrying President Donald Trump’s efforts to dismantle the organization.
The State Department announced on Tuesday that it would be sanctioning ICC President Tomoko Akane, a Japanese legal scholar who serves as the ICC’s president, for having “directly engaged in efforts by the ICC to investigate, arrest, detain, or prosecute officials whose government has not consented to ICC jurisdiction.”
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Akane said the sanctions were not a shock to her, given the multiple ICC officials already punished by the United States, but warned that the decision could lead to the end of international law.
“The sanction against me this time was something I had anticipated to an extent, so I’m not surprised,” Akane said. “The important thing is not to let this be the beginning of the demise of international rule of law.”
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ICC senior trial lawyer Abdoulaye Seye, a Senegalese national, was also hit with sanctions.
Washington has accused the ICC of working to undermine “state sovereignty” and called the body a “corrupt and fatally politicized supranational court that has maliciously abused its authority and exceeded its mandate.”
The ICC previously condemned the sanctions as “a flagrant attack against the independence of an impartial judicial institution.”
Japanese Foreign Ministry press secretary Toshihiro Kitamura said on Wednesday that the sanctions were “very unfortunate” but “Japan will remain committed to strengthening the rule of law in the international community, while maintaining communication with related countries.”
The U.S. has never been a member of the ICC and has rejected the court’s authority across both Republican and Democratic administrations.
Throughout Trump’s second administration, the State Department has been explicit that its ultimate goal is to “systematically dismantle the ICC until it is incapable of threatening American sovereignty.”
Sanctions from the State Department carry immense power on an international level, preventing U.S. financial institutions from engaging with the subject. This can affect foreign nationals’ abilities to bank, use credit cards, or even pay bills.
ICC judges Kimberly Prost from Canada, Reine Alapini-Gansou from Benin, and Solomy Balungi Bossa from Uganda jointly filed a lawsuit in June seeking immediate relief from sanctions imposed on them by the State Department and Treasury Department for their activities related to the court. The judges described the effects of the sanctions a “financial death penalty.”
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Secretary of State Marco Rubio is pushing ICC member states to abandon the organization and imposing travel bans on members of the court. Five countries have announced intentions to leave the court in the past year: Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali, Niger, and Venezuela.
NETANYAHU SAYS ICC PROSECUTOR USED ISRAELI PM’S ARREST WARRANT AS ‘POLITICAL SHIELD’
A watershed moment for the ICC occurred in 2024, when the court issued an international arrest warrant for sitting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on charges of war crimes.
Member states of the ICC are expected to comply with all such warrants issued by the court, but multiple members in Europe refused to comply — including Italy, France, and Germany.
The Israeli premier celebrated the Tuesday sanctions, calling the ICC a “kangaroo court that cloaks its abuse of power in the language of international law while undermining the very principles of justice.”
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