Trump Administration Sanctions 2 More ICC Officials, Raising Total Targeted Jurists to 13
Updated
Updated · The Guardian · Aug 21
Trump Administration Sanctions 2 More ICC Officials, Raising Total Targeted Jurists to 13
3 articles · Updated · The Guardian · Aug 21
Summary
Tomoko Akane, the ICC’s president, and senior trial lawyer Abdoulaye Seye were newly sanctioned by the Trump administration, expanding a campaign against court officials involved in war-crimes cases tied to Israel.
13 jurists are now under US sanctions, which chiefly cut targets off from the international financial system, including bank access and credit cards.
Marco Rubio defended the move by rejecting ICC jurisdiction over officials from nonmember states, while critics note the court can prosecute crimes committed on the territory of member states such as Palestine.
125 countries belong to the ICC, but Trump’s push for wider defections has so far yielded only limited exits, with Venezuela and Chad announcing withdrawals.
The European Union has condemned the sanctions but has not used its blocking statute to shield ICC staff, underscoring the wider pressure on the court’s backers.
Will the financial paralysis of top international jurists ultimately destroy global accountability or trigger the creation of a sanctions-proof justice system?
How will European banks navigate the impossible choice between complying with sweeping US financial sanctions and enforcing the EU blocking statutes?
Could decentralized finance allow targeted international judges to bypass traditional banking sanctions and continue their global investigations?