US Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced today that the United States will impose sanctions on two top figures at the International Criminal Court (ICC) – president Tomoko Akane of Japan and senior trial lawyer Abdoulaye Seye of Senegal.
These measures are part of the Trump‑era push to “dismantle” the court, which holds jurisdiction over genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity in more than 120 member states. The sanctions include asset freezes, travel bans and restrictions on business dealings with U.S. companies.
Rubio said the ICC has “directly engaged in efforts to investigate, arrest, detain or prosecute officials whose governments have not consented to its jurisdiction.” He added that the court is “corrupt and fatally politicised” and threatens state sovereignty.
The ICC has so far declined to comment. The U.S. government has previously sanctioned eleven ICC officials, including nine judges and the chief prosecutor.
Human‑rights organisations such as Human Rights Watch, the Open Society Institute and the Center for Constitutional Rights have filed lawsuits alleging that these sanctions violate U.S. law and international norms, arguing the measures limit the ability to seek global justice.
In June, three ICC judges sued the administration, claiming the sanctions were unlawful extrajudicial pressure. A White House official said the president was acting within the International Emergency Economic Powers Act.
Rubio’s campaign of sanctions is seen as a harsh critique of the ICC’s investigations into U.S. personnel in Afghanistan and warrants issued against Israeli officials, including former Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Both the U.S. and Israel are non‑members of the ICC, and Netanyahu has denied any war‑crime allegations, accusing the court of antisemitic bias.
The sanctions are part of a broader U.S. strategy aimed at questioning the court’s legitimacy, with Rubio calling the ICC “a war against our country” and warning that “every aspect of our political and legal system” is threatened.
