US sanctions ICC president, senior trial lawyer amid Trump administration’s campaign against court

WASHINGTON: The Donald Trump administration has designated two officials of the International Criminal Court (ICC), including its president Tomoko Akane and ICC senior trial lawyer Aboudoulaye Seye, under sanctions, accusing the global tribunal of abusing its authority and threatening national sovereignty.

In a press statement issued by Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Tuesday (local time), the US administration said the action was taken as part of its campaign against what it described as the “politicised” and “unaccountable” nature of the ICC.

“The Trump Administration has been clear: the International Criminal Court (ICC) is a corrupt and fatally politicised supranational court that has maliciously abused its authority and exceeded its mandate. We will not tolerate its assault on state sovereignty,” the statement said.

Last month, I launched a diplomatic campaign to dismantle the ICC’s threat to our national sovereignty. The Trump Administration is sanctioning ICC President Tomoko Akane and Senior Trial Lawyer Abdoulaye Seye in our unwavering mission to protect Americans from this sham of a…

— Secretary Marco Rubio (@SecRubio) August 18, 2026

The administration said the sanctions were imposed under Executive Order 14203, titled “Imposing Sanctions on the International Criminal 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,” it said.

The US further alleged that the ICC has repeatedly attempted to exercise authority over nationals of the United States and other countries that have neither accepted its jurisdiction nor ratified the Rome Statute. “This sets a dangerous precedent for all nations,” the statement added.

The Trump administration said it plans to continue its diplomatic campaign against the ICC and urged other countries to join efforts aimed at reducing support for the court. “Our whole-of-government campaign to dismantle the threat posed by the ICC to national sovereignty will be sweeping, and we expect more countries to join our campaign by ending their funding and participation in this politicised and unaccountable court,” the statement said.

It further warned that additional measures could be taken against the ICC. “The ICC’s ability to target American nationals and those of other non-states parties must end. The Trump Administration stands ready to take additional measures, if necessary, to systematically dismantle the ICC until it is incapable of threatening American sovereignty,” the statement said.

“These individuals are being designated pursuant to section 1(a)(ii)(A) of Executive Order (E.O.) 14203,” the statement added. (ANI)