The International Criminal Court condemned new United States sanctions against its president, Tomoko Akane, and senior trial lawyer Abdoulaye Seye. The Hague-based tribunal called the measures a flagrant attack on its independence and said it would continue pursuing accountability for major international crimes.
The measures freeze any assets the two officials hold in United States jurisdictions or that pass through the American financial system. They also restrict entry to the United States for the targeted officials and their families, extending the consequences beyond courtroom work into travel and routine financial activity.
The latest designations expand a campaign that now covers nine of the court's 18 judges, both deputy prosecutors, a former chief prosecutor and another member of the prosecution office. Washington has accused the tribunal of exceeding its mandate when it investigates or seeks to prosecute officials from countries that have not joined the court, including the United States and Israel.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio described the ICC as politicized and said the administration would intensify pressure on the institution. The announced strategy includes urging its 125 member countries to leave, penalizing organizations that cooperate with it and preventing court personnel from traveling to the United States.
The ICC answered that threatening judicial officials for applying the law endangers the wider international legal order. It pledged to carry out its mandate independently and impartially, framing the confrontation as a test of whether judges and prosecutors can work without economic or political coercion.
Earlier sanctions have shown how deeply such restrictions can reach. Canadian judge Kimberly Prost lost access to credit cards after being designated, illustrating how exclusion from American-linked services can affect ordinary transactions as well as professional duties.
Japan's prime minister, Sanae Takaichi, called the action very unfortunate and said Tokyo would stay in contact with the United States and other countries. Japanese opposition leader Yuichiro Tamaki demanded a stronger response, while Germany and the Netherlands reaffirmed support for the court and Dutch Foreign Minister Tom Berendsen invited Akane for talks.
The confrontation comes as Venezuela and Chad prepare to leave the ICC, bringing to five the number of announced departures in the past year; withdrawals take a year to become effective. The Assembly of States Parties warned that the sanctions could obstruct investigations and weaken efforts to deliver justice, while four advocacy organizations have opened a legal challenge in New York.
