US Imposes Sanctions on ICC President and Lawyer

The United States has announced sanctions against two high‑profile figures associated with the International Criminal Court (ICC). President Tomoko Akane, who heads the court’s executive board, and Abdoulaye Seye, a prominent trial lawyer, were targeted in a coordinated move that the U.S. Treasury Department described as a response to “unlawful conduct” linked to ICC operations.

Under the new measures, both individuals are placed on the Office of Foreign Assets Control’s Specially Designated Nationals list, prohibiting U.S. persons from conducting business with them and freezing any assets under U.S. jurisdiction. The Treasury cited allegations that Akane and Seye engaged in activities that undermined U.S. foreign policy objectives and violated international sanctions regimes, though specific details of the alleged violations were not disclosed in the public statement.

The sanctions are part of a broader U.S. strategy to curb what it views as the ICC’s overreach and to protect U.S. interests in international criminal justice. The move is expected to restrict the sanctioned individuals’ ability to travel to the United States and to engage in financial transactions with U.S. entities, while also signaling a broader diplomatic stance toward the court’s leadership and legal staff.