The Trump administration is leading a campaign to “dismantle” the court, calling it a threat to U.S. national sovereignty.
The administration of US President Donald Trump has added the president of the International Criminal Court (ICC) and a senior lawyer to its list of sanctions.
On Tuesday, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio framed the sanctions expansion as part of a campaign to “dismantle” the international tribunal.
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“The Trump Administration has sanctioned ICC President Tomoko Akane and Senior Trial Attorney Abdullahi Say as part of its unwavering mission to protect Americans from this sham court,” Rubio said on social media.
“In commemoration of the Declaration of Independence, no American will ever be transported across the ocean to stand trial on false charges.”
Japanese judge Akane has served as ICC president since her election in March 2024. Sayet, originally from Senegal, works as a senior trial lawyer in the courts.
The sanctions will freeze all assets held in the United States from September 17th and restrict transactions with US-based companies.
The United States has sanctioned more than a dozen judges and prosecutors from the ICC, prompting a reaction from financial institutions and cutting them off from much of the international banking system.
It also imposed financial restrictions on human rights groups and figures such as UN Special Rapporteur Francesca Albanese for cooperating with the ICC.
In June, three ICC judges sued the Trump administration over the sanctions, calling them an “arbitrary and capricious” measure that narrows the court’s judicial independence.
The ICC itself has condemned the Trump administration’s efforts as a means to erode the rule of law.
“When members of the judiciary are threatened over the application of the law, the very international legal order is at risk,” the court said in a statement.
But the Trump administration claims the ICC overstepped its authority by launching an investigation into the actions of the United States and its close ally Israel.
Neither country is a member of the Hague-based court.
But supporters argue that courts have jurisdiction to investigate and prosecute acts committed in any of the 125 member states, even if the perpetrators are outside the member state.
The court’s mandate is to investigate serious international crimes such as genocide, war crimes, and crimes against humanity.
For example, in 2020, the ICC launched an investigation into alleged US war crimes in Afghanistan, where the country led a decades-long war until 2021.
More recently, in 2024, the ICC issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Israeli Defense Minister Job Gallant on suspicion of committing war crimes during Israel’s genocidal war in Gaza.
The Trump administration protested the investigations into the actions of both the United States and Israel.
Mr. Rubio issued a statement in July calling the court an “intolerable threat” to the sovereignty of nations and vowing to dismantle it.
Several countries, including Chad and Venezuela, have since announced plans to withdraw from the ICC, with critics citing U.S. influence as a motive.
But Rubio doubled down on his criticism in a statement Tuesday, suggesting further punitive action.
“The Trump administration is clear: the International Criminal Court (ICC) is a corrupt and deadly politicized supranational court that has maliciously abused its powers and exceeded its mandate,” he said in a statement. “We will not tolerate attacks on national sovereignty.”
