International Criminal Court chief warns against ‘demise of international rule of law’ after US sanctions

International Criminal Court President Tomoko Akane has been made a target of US sanctions over the court’s investigations involving Israel. — AFP pic

First Published: Friday, 21 Aug 2026 6:30 PM MYT

TOKYO Aug 21 — International Criminal Court President Tomoko Akane of Japan warned on Friday against “the demise of international rule of law” after the United States targeted her with sanctions.

“The sanction against me this time was something I had anticipated to an extent, so I’m not surprised,” Akane said in a statement released on X by her publisher Bungei Shunju.

“The important thing is not to let this be the beginning of the demise of international rule of law.”

The United States sanctioned Akane and trial lawyer Abdoulaye Seye of Senegal on Tuesday as part of the Trump administration’s campaign against what it calls a “corrupt and fatally politicised” body.

The measures bar them from entering the United States and from carrying out transactions in the US financial system.

Akane’s statement – her first public comments since the sanctions – comes after the ICC lashed out at the United States on Wednesday, calling the measures a “flagrant attack” on the court’s independence.

Washington’s latest move follows sanctions it imposed on several ICC officials, seen as largely in response to the court’s investigations involving Israel, a US ally. — AFP