WASHINGTON — The United States imposed sanctions on International Criminal Court President Tomoko Akane and senior trial lawyer Abdoulaye Seye on Tuesday, escalating a long-running confrontation between Washington and the Hague-based tribunal over sovereignty, jurisdiction and the prosecution of nationals from countries that have not joined the court.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced the measures on August 18, saying Akane, a Japanese judge, and Seye, a Senegalese lawyer, were designated under Executive Order 14203. The order, signed by President Donald Trump in February 2025, authorizes sanctions against certain individuals connected with ICC actions involving the United States and allied countries that do not accept the court’s jurisdiction.
“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,” Rubio said in the official announcement. The secretary of state described the latest action as part of Washington’s campaign to defend American sovereignty and protect U.S. citizens and officials from prosecution by a tribunal whose authority the United States does not recognize.
The sanctions generally block property or financial interests belonging to the designated officials that fall within U.S. jurisdiction and substantially restrict their access to the American financial system. The U.S. Treasury Department also issued a general license permitting the winding down of certain transactions involving Akane and Seye through September 17.
The action represents another significant stage in Washington’s confrontation with the ICC. The United States is not a party to the Rome Statute, the treaty that established the court, and successive American administrations have raised concerns about the possibility of U.S. nationals being subjected to ICC proceedings without Washington’s consent. Israel is also not a member of the court. The ICC, however, maintains that the Rome Statute can provide jurisdiction over alleged crimes committed on the territory of a state that has accepted the court’s authority, including when the accused is a national of a non-member country.
Tensions between Washington and the ICC have intensified particularly over proceedings concerning Israel. In November 2024, the court issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and then-Defence Minister Yoav Gallant in connection with alleged crimes arising from the Gaza conflict. Israel has rejected the allegations and challenged the court’s jurisdiction, while the Trump administration has strongly opposed the ICC’s actions against Israeli officials.
Rubio has taken an increasingly forceful position toward the institution. In announcing the latest measures, he described the ICC as a politicized international body that had exceeded its mandate and said the administration would not accept what Washington views as interference with national sovereignty. The United States has previously sanctioned other ICC officials, including judges and prosecutors connected with proceedings involving American or Israeli nationals.
Join us on WhatsApp
The International Criminal Court rejected the American measures and defended the independence of its judicial work. Responding to the sanctions, the court warned that pressure directed at judges and other judicial officials threatens the rule of law and the broader international legal system. “When judicial actors are threatened for applying the law, it is the international legal order itself that is placed at risk,” the court said.
The dispute reflects fundamentally different interpretations of international criminal jurisdiction. Washington maintains that an international tribunal should not exercise authority over nationals of states that have not consented to its jurisdiction. Supporters of the ICC counter that the court may exercise jurisdiction in circumstances authorized by the Rome Statute, including certain alleged crimes committed within the territory of member states.
Established in 2002, the ICC prosecutes individuals accused of genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes and the crime of aggression when applicable jurisdictional requirements are met. The institution has 125 member states, but several major powers, including the United States, Russia and China, are outside the Rome Statute system.
The sanctions against Akane and Seye therefore extend beyond the two officials personally, highlighting a widening diplomatic and legal contest over the limits of international justice. While the Trump administration has signaled that additional pressure could follow, the ICC has maintained that it will continue carrying out its judicial mandate independently, leaving Washington and The Hague divided over one of the central questions in international criminal law: how far an international court’s authority can extend when a government has never accepted its jurisdiction.
