European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and European Council President Antonio Costa have voiced support for International Criminal Court (ICC) President Tomoko Akane after the United States imposed sanctions on her.
Von der Leyen said on Wednesday she and Costa “stand firmly with the ICC, President Tomoko Akane and the officials who uphold its mission”, writing on X that judges and officials “must be able to act independently and without external pressure.”
Costa published an identical post on his official X profile.
Neither of the EU leaders mentioned the United States or issued direct criticism of the US administration.
The US Treasury Department listed sanctions on Akane, a Japanese judge who leads the Hague-based court, according to the department’s website.
The United States is not a member of the ICC, which was established in 2002 to prosecute individuals for war crimes, genocide and crimes against humanity.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the measures also targeted Abdoulaye Seye, a senior trial lawyer and Senegalese national, under an executive order signed by President Donald Trump last year authorising sanctions against the court.
Rubio stated the two had “directly engaged in efforts by the ICC to investigate, arrest, detain, or prosecute officials whose government has not consented to ICC jurisdiction.”
ICC and Japan criticise US move
The ICC condemned the sanctions, saying the measures undermine the rule of law, according to its statement.
“When judicial actors are threatened for applying the law, it is the international legal order itself that is placed at risk,” the court said.
Japan’s foreign ministry described the US sanctions on the ICC and its president as “very unfortunate.”
