U.S. Imposes Sanctions on ICC President and Senior Prosecutor
August 20, 2026. 14:00 • 2 min
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WASHINGTON, August 20. /Dunyo IA/. The United States has imposed sanctions on International Criminal Court (ICC) President Tomoko Akane and senior prosecutor Abdoulaye Seye, reports Dunyo IA correspondent, citing a U.S. State Department statement.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Tomoko Akane and Abdoulaye Seye were “directly involved” in the investigation, arrest, detention or prosecution of officials from countries that do not recognize the ICC’s jurisdiction. He called the court “a corrupt and fatally politicized” institution and accused it of abusing its authority.
The ICC said Washington’s actions “undermine the rule of law,” stressing that threats against judicial officials for applying the law put the international legal order at risk.
The sanctions include a ban on entry to the United States and restrictions on transactions through the U.S. financial system. Washington has previously imposed similar measures on other ICC officials.
The United States is not a party to the Rome Statute that established the ICC. In July, Washington announced an expansion of its campaign against the court, accusing it of posing an “intolerable threat to U.S. sovereignty” and investigating the actions of U.S. military personnel and intelligence officers.
The move is the latest step by the Donald Trump administration against the ICC. Washington has previously sanctioned at least 11 court officials, including nine judges and the chief prosecutor. The restrictions also include asset freezes.
The previous measures were linked to ICC investigations into U.S. military personnel in Afghanistan and arrest warrants for Israeli officials, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, over alleged war crimes in Gaza. In July, Marco Rubio called on all 125 ICC member states to withdraw from the court, saying Washington intended to “dismantle it brick by brick.”
Photo credit: Reuters
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