The United States announced sanctions Tuesday against International Criminal Court President Tomoko Akane and ICC official Abdoulaye Seye, adding both individuals to the Treasury Department’s Specially Designated Nationals list.
Akane, a Japanese national who has led the ICC since 2024, and Seye, a Senegalese national, were designated under Executive Order 14203, which President Donald Trump signed in February 2025 to impose sanctions on the International Criminal Court.
The latest measures mean that any assets belonging to Akane and Seye under US jurisdiction will be blocked. US citizens and companies are also prohibited from conducting transactions with the sanctioned individuals.
The action is part of Washington’s growing pressure on the ICC following the court’s decision in November 2024 to issue arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant over alleged war crimes in Gaza.
The Trump administration has continued to challenge the authority of the ICC. US officials have argued that the court should not exercise jurisdiction over countries that are not members, with the United States maintaining that it is not subject to the court’s authority.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio recently criticized the ICC and said its actions had undermined its legitimacy. Trump also accused Rubio of attempting to defend Netanyahu and others targeted by the court.
Akane, who is the ICC’s sixth president and the first Japanese national to occupy the position, has previously rejected attempts to influence the court through sanctions. She has stated that pressure from governments or other actors would not affect judges’ interpretation of the court’s legal framework or their handling of cases.
She has emphasized that the ICC’s independence and impartiality remain central to its work. The court had not released an official response to the latest US sanctions at the time of publication.
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