ICC head Tomoko Akane warns of 'demise of international rule of law' after US sanctions

International Criminal Court President Tomoko Akane of Japan warned on Friday against "the demise of international rule of law" after the United States targeted her with sanctions.

"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 international rule of law."

The United States sanctioned Akane and trial lawyer Abdoulaye Seye of Senegal on Tuesday as part of the Trump administration's campaign against what it calls a "corrupt and fatally politicised" body.

The measures bar them from entering the United States and from carrying out transactions in the US financial system.

In a statement, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the US was sanctioning ICC President Tomoko Akane as well as senior trial lawyer Abdoulaye Seye, accusing them of "directly" engaging "in efforts by the ICC to investigate, arrest, detain, or prosecute officials whose government has not consented to ICC jurisdiction."

Akane's statement, her first public comments since the sanctions, comes after the ICC lashed out at the United States on Wednesday, calling the measures a "flagrant attack" on the court's independence.

Washington has repeatedly accused the ICC of "politicised actions" and of "targeting Israel."

The ICC issued an arrest warrant for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in November 2024 relating to the war in Gaza.

While neither Israel nor the US are member states of the ICC, Palestine has been a member since 2015, allowing the court to examine crimes allegedly committed on its territory.

Support from the EU

Earlier this week, the presidents of the European Commission and Council, Ursula von der Leyen and António Costa, issued words of support for the ICC after the latest US sanctions.

"The ICC helps deliver justice to the victims of some of the world’s most horrific crimes," both EU leaders said in a statement.

"To carry out this essential work, its judges and officials must be able to act independently and without external pressure," they added.

Earlier on Wednesday, the Netherlands scathingly criticised the US's move, with Foreign Minister Tom Berendsen saying that his government "disapproves" of the sanctions.

A German government spokesperson has also said Berlin stands by the ICC, adding that the court "has held accountable those guilty of the gravest crimes" and is "fulfilling its mandate exactly as intended".