WASHINGTON: The US on Tuesday (Aug 18) imposed sanctions in opposition to Worldwide Legal Courtroom President Tomoko Akane of Japan as a part of its marketing campaign in opposition to the physique that it accuses of being “politicised.”
Washington additionally slapped sanctions on ICC Senior Trial Lawyer Abdoulaye Seye of Senegal within the Trump administration’s newest salvo in opposition to The Hague-based courtroom.
“These people have instantly engaged in efforts by the ICC to analyze, arrest, detain, or prosecute officers whose authorities has not consented to ICC jurisdiction,” US Secretary of State Marco Rubio mentioned in an announcement.
Established in 2002, the ICC prosecutes people accused of the gravest atrocities and acts as a final resort when nations shouldn’t have sufficient authorized programs to make sure accountability.
The US, which isn’t a celebration to the worldwide treaty that established the ICC, has already imposed sanctions in opposition to a number of of the courtroom’s officers.
The measures bar them from getting into the US and from transactions within the US monetary system.
It’s largely a response to ICC investigations focusing on Israel, a US ally. In 2024, the courtroom issued an arrest warrant for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over the struggle in Gaza.
Final month, Washington launched a serious diplomatic offensive in opposition to the ICC, accusing it of “threatening” Individuals and calling on companions to withdraw from the physique – a transfer already introduced by Chad and Venezuela, amongst others.
“The Trump Administration has been clear: the Worldwide Legal Courtroom is a corrupt and fatally politicized supranational courtroom that has maliciously abused its authority and exceeded its mandate. We is not going to tolerate its assault on state sovereignty,” Rubio’s assertion mentioned.
Final week, 4 human rights teams sued US President Donald Trump in a New York courtroom over his sanctions focusing on the ICC, saying the measures block victims of struggle crimes from pursuing justice.
