US sanctions on ICC chief draw global rebuke; court calls it 'flagrant attack' on independence

The International Criminal Court (ICC) on Wednesday condemned the United States' decision to impose sanctions on its president and a senior prosecutor, describing the move as a “flagrant attack” on the court's independence. The sanctions, announced on Tuesday, target ICC President Tomoko Akane of Japan and trial lawyer Abdoulaye Seye of Senegal, as part of Washington's broader campaign against a body it accuses of being “corrupt and fatally politicised.”

The court, headquartered in The Hague, issued a statement asserting that the sanctions undermine the rule of law. “These sanctions are a flagrant attack against the independence of an impartial judicial institution,” the ICC said. “Such measures targeting judges, prosecutors and staff… undermine the rule of law.”

The United Nations human rights chief, Volker Türk, called for the sanctions to be lifted. “Unacceptable new sanctions imposed by the USA against the International Criminal Court's President and a prosecution staff member must be lifted,” he said. Top European Union officials, including European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen and European Council head Antonio Costa, wrote on X that the court “must be able to act independently and without external pressure.”

Germany's foreign ministry called the court's independence “of central importance,” while the Netherlands, which hosts the ICC, expressed its disapproval. Spain described the court as “the cornerstone of the international criminal justice system.”

Japan, the ICC's largest funder and a close US ally, also objected. Foreign ministry press secretary Toshihiro Kitamura termed the measures “very unfortunate,” adding that Japan has “consistently supported the ICC… in its efforts to prosecute and punish the most serious crimes of concern to the international community and to uphold the rule of law.” Notably, the US is not a party to the Rome Statute that established the court, having signed but not ratified it.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio justified the sanctions in a statement, saying the affected individuals had “directly engaged in efforts by the ICC to investigate, arrest, detain, or prosecute officials whose government has not consented to ICC jurisdiction.” He reiterated that the administration views the ICC as a “corrupt and fatally politicised supranational court that has maliciously abused its authority and exceeded its mandate,” and that Washington will not tolerate its “assault on state sovereignty.”

The latest sanctions follow earlier US actions against ICC officials after the court issued an arrest warrant in 2024 for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over the war in Gaza. Israeli leaders welcomed the sanctions. Netanyahu called the ICC “a kangaroo court that cloaks its abuse of power in the language of international law” in a post on X.

Last month, Washington launched a diplomatic offensive, urging allies to withdraw from the ICC. Chad and Venezuela have already announced their withdrawal, with the latter aligning with the US after its leader Nicolas Maduro was captured. The ICC has expressed concern that such withdrawals threaten the collective pursuit of global justice.

Established in 2002, the ICC prosecutes individuals accused of the gravest atrocities and acts as a last resort when countries are unwilling or unable to hold perpetrators accountable. Israel, Russia, and China are not members of the court.