The ICC criticizes the US for sanctions against its president: 'They undermine the rule of law'

The International Criminal Court (ICC) strongly criticized the Trump administration over the sanctions imposed against its president, Tomoko Akane, who was accused of "politicizing" the institution to "investigate, arrest, detain, or prosecute officials whose governments do not recognize its jurisdiction."

In addition to Akane, Abdoulaye Seye, a senior ICC judge, was also sanctioned. Both had pushed for the arrest warrant against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and against his former defense minister, Yoav Gallant, in 2024.

In a statement obtained by AFP, the court based in The Hague noted that the sanctions against Akane constitute "a flagrant attack on the independence of an impartial judicial institution."

"Measures of this kind directed against judges, prosecutors, and staff (...) undermine the rule of law," the ICC added.

Among the sanctions imposed, Akane and Seye will be barred from entering the United States and will not be able to conduct financial transactions within the country's financial system.

The organization has interpreted the sanctions as a campaign launched by Washington, D.C. in response to the warrants issued against Netanyahu and Gallant two years ago and their criticism and accusations against Israel regarding its response to the terrorist groups Hamas and Hezbollah.