(Tokyo) – 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. 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 Kanae Doi, Japan director at Human Rights Watch:
“The US government’s decision to sanction two more ICC officials, including the court’s President Tomoko Akane, is an affront to victims around the world and a naked attempt to shield American and Israeli officials implicated in serious crimes from justice. The Japanese government should build on its longstanding support for the ICC by strongly condemning the Trump administration’s attacks on the court and work with other ICC member countries to protect the court’s critical global mandate.”
