NEW YORK: The UN has expressed serious concern over the US decision to impose sanctions on International Criminal Court President Tomoko Akane and senior trial lawyer Abdoulaye Seye, warning that the measures could further undermine the independence of international justice.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said he is deeply concerned by the US designations, as well as the continuing sanctions imposed on other ICC personnel.
UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said in a statement: “While the United Nations and the International Criminal Court are separate institutions, with separate and distinct mandates, the UN considers the ICC a key pillar of international criminal justice, and the Secretary-General very much respects its work.”
The US announced the latest sanctions on Tuesday, targeting Akane, a Japanese judge who has served as ICC president since 2024, and Seye, a Senegalese senior trial lawyer.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio accused the ICC of exceeding its authority by pursuing investigations and prosecutions involving officials from countries that have not accepted the court’s jurisdiction.
The sanctions freeze any assets the two officials may hold under US jurisdiction and restrict their access to the American financial system.
Washington has argued that the ICC’s investigations involving the US and Israel represent an unacceptable intrusion into national sovereignty.
The measures are the latest escalation in the Trump administration’s campaign against the court. The US has previously sanctioned other ICC officials in connection with investigations into alleged crimes involving American personnel and the court’s cases concerning Israeli officials, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant.
