ICC responds to US sanctions: ‘We will not give up’

International Criminal Court (ICC) President Tomoko Akane has said the court will not back down even if the United States expands its sanctions to target the institution itself.

Speaking remotely from The Hague at a news conference in Tokyo, Akane said the sanctions imposed on her had so far prevented her from using her credit card.

Akane also expressed hope that Japan would play a greater role in supporting the court, particularly in the face of pressure that could push some member states to withdraw. She said the sanctions had strengthened her determination to continue the ICC’s work.

Her comments came in response to US sanctions imposed on her and the ICC’s senior lawyer, Abdoulaye Seye, over the court’s actions concerning Israel, including its 2024 arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defence Minister Yoav Gallant.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio accused ICC officials last week of acting against officials whose governments had not accepted the court’s jurisdiction.

During the conference, Akane said: “I insist that there is no reason I have to be sanctioned,” stressing: “They will not change the way I approach my judicial duties or how I respond to threats.”

“Even if sanctions are imposed on the ICC itself, we are determined not to give up,” Akane said, stressing that the “ICC will never be defeated. Justice will and should prevail.”

She added that “US sanctions should not be viewed as a problem for the ICC alone, but as a “crisis for the rule of law itself.”