In the latest episode of the U.S. moving away from international organisations, the Donald Trump administration on Tuesday (August 18, 2026) announced sanctions on the two senior officials of the International Criminal Court (ICC), including its President Tomoko Akane of Japan and senior trial lawyer Abdoulaye Seye of Senegal.
The Statute has 137 signatories including the U.S. and Israel, and 125 members. The two allies are not members of the court despite being signatories since they have not ratified the document. Several other major countries, including India, China, and Russia, are also not part of the ICC. The court was established to investigate and prosecute individuals accused of committing serious crimes that concern the international community, including genocide, war crimes, and crimes against humanity. It has jurisdiction to try people from its member states and for crimes committed within the territory of its member states.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres expressed serious concerns over the U.S. sanctions, with a spokesperson saying that the ICC is a “key pillar of international criminal justice”. UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Turk, called the sanctions unacceptable and demanded it be lifted while European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen said the court “must be able to act independently and without external pressure”.
