US sanctions ICC president Tomoko Akane and senior trial lawyer Abdoulaye Seye

ICC's Japanese president says she 'won't give up' despite US sanctions The Japanese president of the International Criminal Court (ICC), Tomoko Akane, said she would not back down under US pressure.  Last week, Washington announced that it was sanctioning Akane, as well as the body's Senegalese senior trial lawyer, Abdoulaye Seye. It came amid US President Donald Trump's stated mission of dismantling the ICC for investigating Israeli and, potentially, US officials for war crimes. Akane told reporters on Wednesday that the sanctions have lead to her credit card access being blocked, but added that "even if sanctions against the ICC itself are added, we won't give up". "A permanent body like the ICC must never be shut down. We must not let it be shut down. We will resist with all our might," she said. Akane's remarks come a day after Japan's Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi defended her government's condemnation of the US sanctions as "very unfortunate", brushing off criticism of a "weak" response. "As the ICC's biggest funder, we must protect such an important organisation," Takaichi told reporters on Tuesday, adding that Japan will "engage when and where necessary". Washington's latest move follows sanctions it imposed on several ICC officials, seen as largely in response to the court's investigations involving Israel for its crimes against humanity and genocide. Akane also expressed hope for Japan, the court's biggest funder, to take action amid US pressure.  "I hope Japan will reach out to less powerful member countries that might succumb to the US pressure to leave [the ICC], and encourage them to stick together," she said.

Washington ratcheted up its campaign against the Hague-based court last week by sanctioning its president, Tomoko Akane, and a senior trial lawyer.

The Japanese government on Monday said it intends to provide any necessary support to International Criminal Court President Tomoko Akane after she was sanctioned by the United States,…

Washington sanctioned International Criminal Court president Tomoko Akane and Senegalese trial lawyer Abdoulaye Seye as part of the Trump administration's campaign against the court.

TOKYO, Japan — International Criminal Court President Tomoko Akane of Japan warned Friday against “the demise of the international rule of law” after the United States imposed sanctions on her. “The sanction against me this time was something I had anticipated to an extent, so I’m not surprised,” Akane said in a statement released on X by her publisher, Bungei Shunju. “The important thing is not to let this be the beginning of the demise of the international rule of law.” READ: US imposes sanctions on Japanese chief of International Criminal Court The United States sanctioned Akane and trial lawyer Abdoulaye […]...Keep on reading: ICC chief warns of rule of law ‘demise’ after US sanctions

The International Criminal Court on Wednesday lashed out at the United States after Washington slapped sanctions on ICC President Tomoko Akane, calling it a "flagrant attack" on the court's independence. The US sanctioned Akane of Japan and trial lawyer Abdoulaye Seye of Senegal on Tuesday, as part of Washington's campaign against what it calls a "corrupt and fatally politicised" body. The EU's top officials immediately threw their support behind Akane, saying they "stand firmly" with the ICC president and her top officials. FRANCE 24's International Affairs Editor Kethevane Gorjestani tells us more.

Click to expand Image Judge Tomoko Akane at the International Criminal Court in The Hague, Netherlands, November 20, 2024.  © 2024 Eva Plevier/Pool Photo via AP, file (Tokyo) – The United States government on August 18, 2026, designated two additional International Criminal Court (ICC) officials for sanctions under an executive order issued by President Donald Trump in February 2025. Those sanctioned are Tomoko Akane, from Japan, the president of the ICC, and Abdoulaye Seye, from Senegal, an ICC senior trial lawyer.On August 11, Human Rights Watch, together with the American Friends Service Committee, the Center for Constitutional Rights, and the Open Society Institute, filed a lawsuit in US federal court challenging the Trump administration’s sanctions against ICC prosecutors and judges, a UN human rights expert, and three Palestinian human rights groups.The following quote can be attributed to Kanae Doi, Japan director at Human Rights Watch:“The US government’s decision to sanction two more ICC officials, including the court’s President Tomoko Akane, is an affront to victims around the world and a naked attempt to shield American and Israeli officials implicated in serious crimes from justice. The Japanese government should build on its longstanding support for the ICC by strongly condemning the Trump administration’s attacks on the court and work with other ICC member countries to protect the court’s critical global mandate.” 

ICC says US sanctions a 'flagrant attack' on court independence The International Criminal Court on Wednesday lashed out at the US after Washington slapped sanctions on ICC President Tomoko Akane, calling it a "flagrant attack" on the court's independence. The US sanctioned Akane of Japan and trial lawyer Abdoulaye Seye of Senegal on Tuesday, as part of Washington's campaign against what it calls a "corrupt and fatally politicised" body. United Nations rights chief Volker Turk and the EU's top officials threw their support behind Akane and her top officials. "Unacceptable new sanctions imposed by the USA against the International Criminal Court's President and a prosecution staff member must be lifted," said Turk. And in twin statements on X, European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen and European Council head Antonio Costa said the court "must be able to act independently and without external pressure". Germany's foreign ministry also called the court's independence "of central importance", while the Netherlands, which hosts the court at The Hague, also voiced its disapproval. Joining the chorus of condemnation, Spain described the court as "the cornerstone of the international criminal justice system".

The ICC has condemned United States sanctions on its president and lawyer, calling them a direct assault on judicial independence and the rule of law.

Trump administration put sanctions on the international criminal court’s president and a senior trial lawyerThe international criminal court on Wednesday condemned the latest US sanctions targeting senior ICC staff, including its president, as a “flagrant attack” on the global tribunal’s independence and vowed to continue seeking justice for atrocities around the world.The state department announced Tuesday that it had hit ICC president Tomoko Akane, a Japanese national, and ICC senior trial lawyer Abdoulaye Seye, who is from Senegal, with sanctions that freeze any assets they have in US jurisdictions or come into contact with the US financial system. Continue reading...

The International Criminal Court lashed out at the US after Washington slapped sanctions on president Tomoko Akane.

State Department hit president Tomoko Akane and ICC senior trial lawyer Abdoulaye Seye with sanctions that freeze any assets they have in U.S. jurisdictions

Washington imposed sanctions on ICC president Tomoko Akane and senior trial lawyer Abdoulaye Seye as part of its campaign against what it called a 'corrupt and fatally politicised' court.

The US has sanctioned International Criminal Court president Tomoko Akane and trial lawyer Abdoulaye Seye.

Washington also slapped sanctions on ICC senior trial lawyer Abdoulaye Seye of Senegal in the Trump administration's latest salvo against The Hague-based court.

These individuals have directly engaged in efforts by the ICC to investigate, arrest, detain, or prosecute officials whose government has not consented to ICC jurisdiction, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in a statement

The United States on Tuesday imposed sanctions against International Criminal Court President Tomoko Akane of Japan as part of its campaign against the body that it accuses of…

(Washington, DC) – The United States government on August 18, 2026, designated two additional International Criminal Court (ICC) officials for sanctions under an executive order issued by President Donald Trump in February 2025, Human Rights Watch said today. Those sanctioned are Tomoko Akane, from Japan, the president of the ICC, and Abdoulaye Seye, from Senegal, an ICC senior trial lawyer.On August 11, Human Rights Watch, together with the American Friends Service Committee, the Center for Constitutional Rights, and the Open Society Institute, filed a lawsuit in US federal court challenging the Trump administration’s sanctions against ICC prosecutors and judges, a UN human rights expert, and three Palestinian human rights groups.The following quote can be attributed to Balkees Jarrah, Middle East and North Africa director at Human Rights Watch:“The US government’s decision to sanction two more ICC officials is just the latest example of the Trump administration’s utter contempt for international law and a naked attempt to shield American and Israeli officials implicated in serious crimes from justice. ICC member countries should strongly condemn this misuse of sanctions and act to ensure that the court can continue its critical work on behalf of survivors of the world’s worst crimes, whether in Afghanistan, Palestine, Sudan, or Ukraine.”

The sanctions freeze any US assets the individuals may have and essentially cut them off from the US financial system, with which almost all internationally operating banks have close ties.

The US government imposed sanctions on ICC President Tomoko Akane and lawyer Abdoulaye Seye, freezing assets and restricting access to the US financial system.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the two ICC officials were targeted because they had been involved in efforts to investigate or prosecute officials whose governments had not consented to the court's jurisdiction.

Earlier Tuesday, the US imposed sanctions against ICC President Tomoko Akane of Japan as part of its campaign against the body it accuses of being "politicised."

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced US sanctions on the president and a senior trial lawyer of the International Criminal Court (ICC), preventing the two officials from entering the US and using the US financial system.

US announces sanctions on ICC president and senior lawyer US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has announced sanctions against the president and a senior lawyer of the International Criminal Court (ICC). The US imposed sanctions on Tuesday on Tomoko Akane, a Japanese judge who is president of the ICC, and ICC senior trial lawyer Abdoulaye Seye of Senegal, according to the US Treasury Department website. Rubio accused the individuals of directly engaging "in efforts by the ICC to investigate, arrest, detain, or prosecute officials whose government has not consented to ICC jurisdiction". He called the institution "a corrupt and fatally politicized supranational court that has maliciously abused its authority and exceeded its mandate", and added, "we will not tolerate its assault on state sovereignty" . This latest move comes on top of sanctions already imposed by the Trump administration on at least 11 ICC officials, including nine judges and the chief prosecutor. Japanese Judge Tomoko Akane, president of the International Criminal Court, delivers a speech in Tokyo, on 14 June 2024 (Kazuhiro Nogi/AFP)

The United States on Tuesday imposed sanctions against International Criminal Court President Tomoko Akane of Japan as part of its campaign against the body that it accuses of being "politicized." Washington also slapped sanctions on ICC Senior Trial Lawyer Abdoulaye Seye of Senegal in the Trump administration's latest salvo against The Hague-based court.

The United States on Tuesday imposed sanctions against International Criminal Court President Tomoko Akane of Japan as part of its campaign against the body that it accuses of being "politicized." Washington also slapped sanctions on ICC Senior Trial Lawyer Abdoulaye Seye of Senegal in the Trump administration's latest salvo against The Hague-based court.