US imposes sanctions on head of International Criminal Court, Netherlands condemns action

The United States has imposed sanctions on Tomoko Akane, the Japanese judge who heads the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague, and other court officials. The U.S. Department of the Treasury announced the new measures, which follow a series of sanctions introduced last year against ICC judges.

These previous sanctions were a response to arrest warrants issued by the ICC for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant. The U.S. has consistently opposed the ICC's jurisdiction over its citizens and allies.

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International courts and tribunals must be able to carry out their tasks freely.

Dutch Minister of Foreign Affairs Tom Berendsen condemned the sanctions in a statement on X, asserting that "International courts and tribunals must be able to carry out their tasks freely." He also invited Akane to discuss the "continuing" Dutch support for her and the court.

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The ICC stated that it would not be deterred by the sanctions and stands behind its personnel.

The imposed sanctions freeze all U.S. assets held by Akane and other sanctioned ICC employees, and bars them from the U.S. financial system. This can have significant consequences, as U.S. companies control a large portion of international payment traffic. For example, French ICC judge Nicolas Guillou, sanctioned by the U.S. last year, lost access to his Visa payment card and faced difficulties making international payments.

The ICC stated that it would not be deterred by the sanctions and stands behind its personnel, according to Reuters. The court also argued that the U.S. sanctions undermine the rule of law. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio reiterated on X that the sanctions are part of an effort to protect Americans from what he called a "sham court" and dismantle the "threat that the International Criminal Court poses to the sovereignty of the United States."

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The U.S. sanctions undermine the rule of law.