Yasin Gungor
19 August 2026•Update: 19 August 2026
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres voiced “serious concern” regarding the US decision to impose sanctions on high-ranking officials of the International Criminal Court (ICC).
“The secretary-general expresses serious concern about this designation, as well as the ongoing designation of other International Criminal Court employees,” spokesperson Stephane Dujarric told reporters on Wednesday.
He emphasized that the UN views the ICC as a “key pillar of international criminal justice” and maintains full respect for its operations.
The US Treasury Department on Tuesday sanctioned ICC President Tomoko Akane and senior lawyer Abdoulaye Seye.
The sanctions are part of a broader pressure campaign by the Trump administration against the Hague-based court.
Both designations were made pursuant to Executive Order 14203, "Imposing Sanctions on the International Criminal Court," which US President Donald Trump signed on Feb. 6, 2025.
The listing blocks any US assets held by Akane, a Japanese national serving since 2024, and Seye, and bars Americans and entities from engaging in transactions with them.
The US State Department last month launched a campaign aimed at dismantling what the Trump administration has described as a threat by the ICC to “American sovereignty.”
The tension follows the ICC's issuance of arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for alleged war crimes in Gaza.
