EU leaders back ICC after US sanctions its president

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and European Council President António Costa issued coordinated statements on Wednesday defending the International Criminal Court and its president, Tomoko Akane, one day after the United States imposed sanctions on her and a senior court official.

Coordinated EU Response

In near-identical posts on X, both EU leaders said they "stand firmly" with the ICC and its president. Costa wrote that "the ICC helps deliver justice to the victims of some of the world's most horrific crimes. To carry out this essential work, its judges and officials must be able to act independently and without external pressure". Von der Leyen posted a nearly identical message emphasizing the same points.aa+2

The statements came after the US Treasury Department and State Department on Tuesday announced sanctions on Akane, a Japanese judge who has served as ICC president since 2024, and Abdoulaye Seye, a Senegalese senior trial lawyer in the Office of the Prosecutor. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the measures were taken under a February 2025 executive order because the individuals had "directly engaged in efforts by the ICC to investigate, arrest, detain, or prosecute officials whose government has not consented to ICC jurisdiction".eualive+2

ICC and International Condemnation

The ICC itself issued a statement on Tuesday calling the sanctions "a flagrant attack against the independence of an impartial judicial institution." The court noted that nine of its 18 judges, both deputy prosecutors, the former prosecutor, and one staff member are now under US sanctions.icc-cpi

Japan, Akane's home country and a close US ally, described the measures as "very unfortunate." According to Reuters, Japan's foreign ministry said it had "consistently supported the ICC in its efforts to prosecute and punish the most serious crimes of concern to the international community". The Netherlands, which hosts the ICC in The Hague, also criticized the move, with Foreign Minister Tom Berendsen saying the country "disapproves of the latest sanctions" and that international courts "must be able to freely carry out their mandates".reuters+1

Broader Context

The sanctions are part of a broader Trump administration campaign against the ICC that began with an executive order in February 2025. The United States is not a party to the Rome Statute and has objected to ICC investigations involving US personnel in Afghanistan and arrest warrants related to the Israel-Hamas conflict, including those issued for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Rubio described the court as a "corrupt and fatally politicized supranational court" that had "maliciously abused its authority".whitehouse+1