ICC says U.S. sanctions 'flagrant attack' on court independence

ICC notes U.S. Sanctions 'flagrant attack' on court independence Published – August 19, 2026 10: 47 pm IST – The Hague.

Key points

• These included Akane, 70, an ICC judge since 2018 who was elected as the court's president in March 2024.
• The United Nations' rights chief Volker Türk and the EU's top authorities threw their backing behind Akane and her top authorities.
• "Unacceptable new sanctions imposed by the USA against the International Criminal Court's President and a prosecution staff member must be lifted, " remarked Mr.
• It has aligned with the United States since it captured leader Nicolas Maduro.
• Established in 2002, the ICC prosecutes individuals accused of the gravest atrocities and acts as a last resort when countries do not have adequate legal systems to ensure accountability.

Joining the chorus of condemnation, Spain described the court as "the cornerstone of the international criminal justice system". File Photo Credit: Reuters.

For context, the International Criminal Court on Wednesday (August 19, 2026) lashed out at the United States after Washington slapped sanctions on ICC president Tomoko Akane, calling it a "flagrant attack" on the court's independence.

As part of Washington's campaign against what it calls a "corrupt and fatally politicised" body, the U.S. Sanctioned Akane of Japan and trial lawyer Abdoulaye Seye of Senegal on Tuesday (August 18, 2026).

Meanwhile, the United Nations' rights chief Volker Türk and the EU's top authorities threw their backing behind Akane and her top authorities.

"Unacceptable new sanctions imposed by the USA against the International Criminal Court's President and a prosecution staff member must be lifted, " remarked Mr. Turk.

And in twin statements on X, European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen and European Council head Antonio Costa the court "must be able to act independently and without external pressure."

Germany's foreign ministry additionally called the court's independence "of central importance, "; while the Netherlands. It hosts the court at The Hague, additionally voiced its disapproval.

And the court itself remarked in an official note: "These sanctions are a flagrant attack against the independence of an impartial judicial institution."

"Such measures targeting judges, prosecutors and staff. Undermine the rule of law."

Washington's latest move follows sanctions it imposed on a number of ICC office-holders, seen as largely in response to the court's investigations involving Israel, a U.S. Ally.

Japan additionally objected to the sanctions, saying the country has "consistently supported the ICC. In its efforts to prosecute and punish the most serious crimes of concern to the international community and to uphold the rule of law."

In practice, the measures are "very unfortunate, " foreign ministry press secretary Toshihiro Kitamura remarked in an official note.

Japan is the biggest funder of the ICC and a close U.S. Ally — which is not a party to the international treaty that established the court.

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio earlier remarked in an official note, without providing examples, that the sanctioned "individuals have directly engaged in efforts by the ICC to investigate, arrest, detain, or prosecute officials whose government has not consented to ICC jurisdiction".

President Donald Trump's administration has already imposed sanctions against authorities of the ICC. It issued in 2024 an arrest warrant for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over the war in Gaza.

Meanwhile, the measures bar them from entering the U.S. And from carrying out transactions in the US financial system.

In an X post Tuesday (August 18, 2026), Mr. Netanyahu applauded the U.S. Sanctions and called the ICC "a kangaroo court that cloaks its abuse of power in the language of international law".

Last month, Washington introduced a major diplomatic offensive against the ICC, accusing it of "threatening" Americans and calling on partners to withdraw from the body — a move already unveiled by Chad and Venezuela. It has aligned with the United States since it captured leader Nicolas Maduro.

In practice, the ICC expressed concern that such withdrawals risked undermining the collective pursuit of justice.

Notably, the U.S. Signed the Rome Statute establishing the ICC but never ratified the treaty. Israel, Russia and China are not ICC members either.

"The Trump Administration has been clear: the International Criminal Court is a corrupt and fatally politicised supranational court that has maliciously abused its authority and exceeded its mandate, " remarked Mr. Rubio's statement. "We will not tolerate its assault on state sovereignty."

Last week, four human rights groups sued Mr. Trump in a New York court over his sanctions targeting the ICC, arguing the measures blocked victims of war crimes from pursuing justice.

In 2023, the ICC issued an arrest warrant for Russian President Vladimir Putin over the war in Ukraine, prompting Moscow to matter its own arrest warrants for senior court office-holders.

"Even if one judge were to die, we are easily replaceable, so there is really no value in targeting us, " she remarked after the Russian announcement.

Taken together, the developments around ICC says U.S. Sanctions ' flagrant attack' on court independence point to a situation that is still moving, and the coming days should bring more clarity.