Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced a new round of sanctions against two International Criminal Court officials Tuesday, escalating the Trump administration’s confrontation with the Hague-based court and international human rights organizations.
The latest sanctions target ICC President Tomoko Akane and Senior Trial Lawyer Abdoulaye Seye. Rubio described the action as another step in what he called the administration’s “unwavering mission to protect Americans from this sham of a court.”
The United States is not a party to the Rome Statute, the treaty that established the ICC and defined its jurisdiction. Rubio has also encouraged other countries to cut their ties with the international court.
“These individuals have directly engaged in efforts by the ICC to investigate, arrest, detain, or prosecute officials whose government has not consented to ICC jurisdiction,” Rubio said in a statement announcing the sanctions.
The sanctions generally prohibit American citizens from conducting transactions with Akane and Seye without risking punishment. They also effectively prevent the two ICC officials from accessing the U.S. financial system.
The Hill reached out to the ICC for comment.
Tuesday’s move follows a promise Rubio made last month to use American diplomatic and government power to dismantle the ICC “brick by brick.”
Rubio said those efforts could include additional sanctions against the ICC and organizations affiliated with it, along with travel bans and visa revocations. The administration has also threatened to use diplomatic pressure to encourage other countries to withdraw from the court.
The Trump administration has already blacklisted multiple ICC officials, including prosecutors and judges.
The administration’s clash with the court intensified following the ICC’s decision to issue arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant over the war in the Gaza Strip.
The United States has also previously pushed back against an ICC investigation involving the conduct of American troops in Afghanistan.
The administration’s sanctions campaign has faced legal challenges from ICC judges and human rights organizations.
Three ICC judges filed a lawsuit in New York in June challenging sanctions imposed against them by the Trump administration and arguing that the measures are unlawful.
Two human rights advocacy organizations followed with another lawsuit in July seeking to block sanctions against ICC officials. Those groups argued the designations created a “chilling effect” on their efforts to document alleged Israeli crimes against Palestinians.
The legal challenges have continued.
Four human rights groups sued the Trump administration last week, arguing that its sanctions against ICC officials are unlawfully interfering with their work involving international criminal justice.
Despite the mounting court challenges, the Trump administration is continuing its pressure campaign against the ICC, with Rubio’s latest sanctions adding the court’s president and a senior trial lawyer to the list of officials targeted by Washington.
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