US Imposes Sanctions on International Criminal Court Officials

The US Treasury Department has imposed sanctions on the president of the International Criminal Court (ICC) and a senior lawyer, citing their role in investigating Israel for war crimes in Gaza.

The Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) has added the Japanese magistrate Tomoko Akane and the Senegalese lawyer Abdoulaye Seye to its list, without providing further details.

In addition to Akane and Seye, the Trump administration has already sanctioned eight other ICC judges, as well as the former chief prosecutor Karim Khan and two deputy prosecutors.

The US Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, has justified the measure, accusing the two latest individuals of having "directly participated in the ICC's initiatives to investigate, detain, arrest, or prosecute officials" of governments that have not ratified the Rome Statute, which he warned sets a "dangerous precedent for all nations".

The head of US diplomacy has framed these sanctions as part of a "diplomatic campaign" to curb what he considers to be "abuses of power" by the ICC, and has expressed his desire for other countries to join in.

"The Trump administration has been clear: the ICC is a corrupt and fatally politicized supranational tribunal that has maliciously abused its authority and exceeded its mandate. We will not tolerate its attack on state sovereignty," he concluded.

The ICC issued arrest warrants in November 2024 for the Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, and the former Defense Minister, Yoav Gallant, for alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity committed during the military operation launched over a year earlier on the Gaza Strip.

## US Sanctions Against ICC Officials

| Official | Nationality | Position | | --- | --- | --- |

| Tomoko Akane | Japanese | President of the ICC | | Abdoulaye Seye | Senegalese | Senior Lawyer at the ICC |

## Background on ICC Investigation

The ICC investigation into alleged war crimes in Gaza has been a point of contention between the US and the ICC. The US has accused the ICC of overstepping its mandate and abusing its authority.

The ICC has issued arrest warrants for several high-ranking Israeli officials, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant. The US has justified its sanctions by accusing the ICC officials of participating in initiatives to investigate, detain, arrest, or prosecute officials of governments that have not ratified the Rome Statute.

The US has also framed its sanctions as part of a broader diplomatic campaign to curb what it considers to be "abuses of power" by the ICC. The head of US diplomacy has expressed his desire for other countries to join in and has warned that the ICC's actions set a "dangerous precedent for all nations".