US imposes sanctions on two top International Criminal Court officials
Photo: International Criminal Court in The Hague (Getty Images)
US sanctions were imposed on International Criminal Court President Tomoko Akane and senior trial lawyer Abdoulaye Seye, states US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, according to the US State Department.
Rubio announces new sanctions against the ICC
Rubio said Akane and Seye were directly involved in the ICC's efforts to investigate, arrest, detain, or prosecute officials whose governments had not consented to the court's jurisdiction.
The Treasury Department also issued a general license on Tuesday allowing transactions involving Akane to be wound down through September 17.
What the sanctions mean
The sanctions freeze any assets belonging to the two individuals in the US and effectively cut them off from the US financial system.
Who else from the ICC is under sanctions
Last year, the US imposed targeted sanctions on several officials of the International Criminal Court.
The list included prosecutors and judges involved in arrest warrants and investigations concerning:
- Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu,
- former Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant,
- US forces in Afghanistan.
In June, three ICC judges sued Trump and his administration over the sanctions. They argue that the measures were unlawful.
Earlier, RBC-Ukraine reported that the US administration had pledged to step up efforts to undermine the International Criminal Court's activities.
In addition, the ICC suspended Chief Prosecutor Karim Khan from his position. He was the one who secured an arrest warrant for Russian President Vladimir Putin.
It was also reported that the US imposed sanctions on International Criminal Court Prosecutor Karim Khan.
