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U.S. Sanctions ICC President Tomoko Akane and Senior Lawyer Abdoulaye Seye

The designations freeze assets in U.S. jurisdictions, limit access to dollar-linked banking thereby escalating the administration’s campaign to curtail the court’s investigations.

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The International Criminal Court in The Hague on February 23.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio speaks during a roundtable with U.S. President Donald Trump at the U.S. Department of State on August 07, 2026 in Washington, D.C.
FILE - A general view of the exterior of the International Criminal Court is seen in The Hague, Netherlands, March 12, 2025. (AP Photo/Omar Havana, File)

Overview

  • The State Department announced on Tuesday, Aug. 18, that Secretary of State Marco Rubio had designated Tomoko Akane and Abdoulaye Seye and the Treasury posted a general licence allowing wind-down of transactions through Sept. 17.
  • The sanctions block any assets the two officials hold in U.S. jurisdictions and effectively cut them off from banks that clear in dollars, which can prevent routine activities like receiving pay or using credit tied to U.S. services.
  • Washington says the steps are part of a larger Trump administration effort, begun under a 2025 executive order, to push back on ICC probes of nonmember states including investigations tied to Israel and past Afghanistan cases.
  • The International Criminal Court, human-rights organisations and several U.S. allies condemned the move as an attack on judicial independence and have filed or joined legal challenges arguing the measures undermine access to justice.
  • Analysts warn the measures could further strain diplomacy, prompt more states to consider withdrawing from the court over time, and materially hinder ICC staff and judges who rely on international banking and travel to do their work.