US Sanctions ICC President Tomoko Akane and Official Abdoulaye Sey

The United States has imposed sanctions on International Criminal Court (ICC) President Tomoko Akane and court official Abdoulaye Sey, accusing them of being directly involved in activities that Washington considers a threat to national sovereignty. The sanctions were announced on Tuesday as the Trump administration continues to intensify pressure on the ICC.

According to the US Treasury Department, Japanese national Tomoko Akane and Senegalese national Abdoulaye Sey have been added to its Specially Designated Nationals list. The sanctions freeze any assets or property they may hold in the United States and prohibit US citizens and companies from conducting transactions with them.

President Donald Trump signed an executive order titled “Imposing Sanctions on the International Criminal Court” on February 6, 2025. The latest sanctions were imposed under that order. Before Akane and Sey, 10 other ICC officials—including former prosecutor Karim Khan and eight judges—had been placed on the sanctions list.

The ICC issued arrest warrants in November 2024 for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defence Minister Yoav Gallant over alleged war crimes in Gaza. The move led to increased pressure on the court from Washington.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio accused Akane and Sey of being directly involved in ICC actions aimed at investigating, arresting, detaining or prosecuting officials from countries that have not accepted the court’s jurisdiction.

Rubio said the US government would take broad measures to counter what he described as the threat posed by the ICC to national sovereignty. He also said Washington hoped more countries would join efforts to halt funding and participation in what he called a politically motivated and unaccountable court.

The US State Department launched a campaign against the ICC last month. The Trump administration has argued that the court poses a threat to US sovereignty. Rubio said the ICC had undermined its own legitimacy by claiming jurisdiction over nationals of countries that are not members of the court. The United States and Israel are not ICC members.

Akane, the ICC’s sixth president and the first Japanese national to hold the position, has repeatedly criticised the sanctions campaign. Speaking at a meeting of the ICC’s member states last December, she said such sanctions would not influence how judges interpret their responsibilities.

Akane said the court would not accept pressure over the interpretation of legal frameworks or the adjudication of cases. She described the ICC’s independence and impartiality as its fundamental principles and said they would remain intact.

The ICC has not yet issued an official statement on the latest sanctions.