The U.S. Just Sanctioned the Head of the World's War Crimes Court
On 18 August 2026, the U.S. government announced sanctions against Tomoko Akane, the president of the International Criminal Court (ICC), and a senior lawyer at the same court. The sanctions were issued under Executive Order 14203, a rule created specifically to target the ICC. U.S. State Department
Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced the move through the U.S. Treasury Department website. Reuters Sanctions, in this case, mean that any money or property the two officials have under American control is frozen, they cannot access it. AP News
The State Department said the sanctions are part of a campaign that started the previous month. The press release was titled "Advancing the United States' Campaign to Address the Threat Posed by the International Criminal Court," making clear this is an ongoing effort, not a single action. U.S. State Department
The ICC responded quickly. On 19 August 2026, the Court published a statement titled "The ICC strongly rejects new US sanctions designations." It called the sanctions a "flagrant attack" on the institution. ICC Deutsche Welle
A group called the Assembly of States Parties, which is the ICC's governing body made up of its 125 member countries, also expressed deep regret. Their response shows that concern goes beyond the Court itself to the nations that belong to it. ICC
Japan, where Akane is from, criticized the sanctions and called them "unfortunate." Reuters Japan is a close ally of the United States. The fact that Japan chose to publicly disagree with the U.S. on this point adds strain to that alliance, even though Tokyo's words were careful and measured.
Akane had warned about this possibility months earlier. In December 2025, she said U.S. sanctions could quickly disrupt the Court's work on all its cases and even threaten its survival. Reuters Her warning now looks like a prediction of what is actually happening. The person who leads the institution is herself a target, and the disruptions she described would affect the entire Court, not just her office.
Executive Order 14203, the rule used for these sanctions, was designed to target the ICC specifically. This is not the first time it has been used. The State Department's description of the action as part of a campaign that began the previous month suggests more sanctions could follow. By targeting the Court's sitting president, the U.S. has raised the confrontation to the highest level of the institution.
The broader context here is a clash between two different ideas about who has the power to judge serious crimes. The ICC was created to hold people accountable for the worst crimes, like genocide and war crimes, no matter where those crimes happen. The United States, however, never joined the treaty that created the ICC. It argues that the Court has no authority over Americans or over citizens of countries that are not members. The sanctions turn that legal argument into a concrete action against the Court's leadership. For the ICC and its 125 member countries, the question is whether the Court can keep doing its job when its top official faces frozen assets and the possibility of further pressure.
What is still unclear is whether the ICC's member countries will do more than express regret, and whether other ICC officials will be sanctioned in the next phases of the U.S. campaign.
