The United States government on August 18, 2026, designated two additional International Criminal Court (ICC) officials for sanctions under an executive order issued by President Donald Trump in February 2025, Human Rights Watch said today. Those sanctioned are Tomoko Akane, from Japan, the president of the ICC, and Abdoulaye Seye, from Senegal, an ICC senior trial lawyer.
On August 11, Human Rights Watch, together with the American Friends Service Committee, the Center for Constitutional Rights, and the Open Society Institute, filed a lawsuit in US federal court challenging the Trump administration's sanctions against ICC prosecutors and judges, a UN human rights expert, and three Palestinian human rights groups.
The following quote can be attributed to Balkees Jarrah, Middle East and North Africa director at Human Rights Watch:
"The US government's decision to sanction two more ICC officials is just the latest example of the Trump administration's utter contempt for international law and a naked attempt to shield American and Israeli officials implicated in serious crimes from justice. ICC member countries should strongly condemn this misuse of sanctions and act to ensure that the court can continue its critical work on behalf of survivors of the world's worst crimes, whether in Afghanistan, Palestine, Sudan, or Ukraine."
