US sanctions International Criminal Court president, trial lawyer in bid to dismantle body

US sanctions International Criminal Court president, trial lawyer in bid to dismantle body Submitted by MEE staff on Tue, 08/18/2026 - 20:29 Secretary of State Marco Rubio has previously made it clear he intends to take the court apart 'brick by brick' Japanese Judge Tomoko Akane, president of the International Criminal Court, delivers a speech during a press conference at the Japan National Press Club in Tokyo, on 14 June 2024 (Kazuhiro Nogi/AFP) Off The US announced on Tuesday that it is sanctioning the Japanese president of the International Criminal Court (ICC), Tomoko Akane, as well as the body's Senegalese senior trial lawyer, Abdoulaye Seye. The move is just the latest step in implementing US President Donald Trump's stated mission of dismantling the ICC for investigating Israeli and, potentially, US officials for war crimes. Neither country is a signatory to the Rome Statute, which established the court in 2002.