ICC slams US sanctions on court as 'flagrant attack'

The International Criminal Court (ICC) on Wednesday condemned US sanctions against the body's president, President Tomoko Akane of Japan, and trial lawyer Abdoulaye Seye of Senegal.

"These sanctions are a flagrant attack against the independence of an impartial judicial institution," the Hague-based court said in a statement.

It said that the US sanctions "undermine the rule of law" and jeopardise the international legal order.

The court stressed it would "continue to fully discharge its mandate with independence and impartiality, in full accordance with the Rome Statute and in the interest of victims of international crimes."

Though the United States signed the Rome Statute in 2000, which established the court in 2002, it never ratified it and, under President Donald Trump, Washington accuses the court of being "politicised."

The ICC prosecutes war crimes, genocide and crimes against humanity.

EU, Japan show support for ICC

The European Union and several of its member states threw their weight behind the ICC.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and European Council President Antonio Costa said they "stand firmly" with the court in identical statements on their X accounts.

"The ICC helps deliver justice to the victims of some of the world's most horrific crimes," they said. "To carry out this essential work, its judges and officials must be able to act independently and without external pressure."

Meanwhile, German Justice Minister Stefanie Hubig said she considered it "deeply distressing that it is the US of all countries that is launching a frontal attack on international criminal law."

She pointed out that the US helped establish the concept of international criminal law in the Nuremberg trials against members of Germany's Nazi regime.

"These US sanctions reflect contempt for the idea of the rule of law that cannot be reconciled with this tradition."

France also condemned the sanctions in a Wednesday statement.

"France condemns all ​of threats and means of coercion taken against the ​Court, its staff and the civil ⁠society organizations ​which support ​it," a statement from the spokesperson of the French Foreign Ministry said.

"France expresses its solidarity toward those magistrates targeted," it said.

Japanese Foreign Ministry Press Secretary Toshihiro Kitamura described the sanctions as "very unfortunate."

Japan is the biggest funder of the court.

The US sanctions were also condemned by the Netherlands, which hosts the court, and Spain, as well as the United Nations.

Why did the United States sanction the ICC?

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced the sanctions on Tuesday, saying he was acting under authority of an executive order signed by President Trump.

He described the measure as part of an "unwavering mission to protect Americans from this sham of a court."

"These individuals," said Rubio, "have directly engaged in efforts by the ICC to investigate, arrest, detain, or prosecute officials whose government has not consented to ICC."

Last month, Rubio said the Trump administration would step up its efforts to dismantle the ICC, including a diplomatic campaign for other countries to leave the court.

In 2024, the ICC issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defence Minister Yoav Gallant.

The move was condemned by the United States, with Trump accusing the court of "illegitimate and baseless actions targeting America and our close ally Israel." Like the US, Israel has also never ratified the Rome Statute and is therefore not an ICC state party.

The court also issued or planned to issue arrest warrants for several now-deceased Hamas leading officials.