US Imposes Sanctions on ICC President Tomoko Akane and Senior Lawyer Abdoulaye Seye

The US government on Tuesday implemented sanctions targeting International Criminal Court President Tomoko Akane and senior trial lawyer Abdoulaye Seye, escalating the administration's ongoing pressure campaign against the tribunal over alleged threats to American sovereignty.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated that Ms Akane, a national of Japan, and Mr Seye, from Senegal, played direct roles in ICC investigations and prosecutions involving officials from nations that do not recognize the court's jurisdiction. Characterizing the tribunal as a politicized institution, Mr Rubio asserted that the US rejects any perceived assault on state sovereignty.

This move represents the latest escalation by US President Donald Trump's administration against the The Hague-based institution, which handles cases regarding war crimes, genocide, and crimes against humanity. Mr Trump previously noted that these measures are intended to protect Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other allies from potential prosecution.

Previously, New York's Mayor Zohran Mamdani advocated for the arrest of the Israeli leader, pledging during his campaign last year to instruct the New York Police Department to detain Mr Netanyahu should he visit the city pursuant to an ICC warrant related to the Gaza war.

Neither the US nor Israel participates in the Rome Statute, the founding treaty of the ICC. Nonetheless, the tribunal maintains it can exercise jurisdiction over crimes committed within member states, regardless of the accused individuals' nationalities.

Concluding his statement, Mr Rubio warned that Washington's campaign would broaden beyond current sanctions, with the Trump administration prepared to execute further measures aimed at curtailing the ICC's operations.