US news | The Guardian
· collected 2026-08-19 · by Andrew Roth in Washington
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has sanctioned Tomoko Akane, president of the International Criminal Court (ICC), and Abdoulaye Seye, a senior trial lawyer at the ICC, for their alleged efforts to investigate and prosecute officials without consent. The sanctions come as part of a broader effort by the US to "dismantle the threat" posed by the ICC to American sovereignty, which Rubio claims has been maliciously abused its authority. This is not the first time the US has taken action against the ICC, with at least 11 officials already sanctioned and former President Donald Trump targeting the court in an executive order in 2025. The sanctions have been criticized by human rights groups who argue they prevent victims of war crimes from seeking justice.
Written by the local model on 2026-08-19,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Story summary
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has announced sanctions against two International Criminal Court (ICC) officials: Tomoko Akane, the ICC president from Japan, and Abdoulaye Seye, a senior trial lawyer from Senegal. The sanctions, which include freezing their US-held bank assets and cutting them off from the US financial system, were imposed due to allegations that they had "directly engaged in efforts by the ICC to investigate, arrest, detain, or prosecute officials whose government has not consented to ICC jurisdiction." Rubio called the ICC a "corrupt and fatally politicized" institution that has "maliciously abused its authority and exceeded its mandate." The move is part of a broader US campaign against the ICC, with Rubio urging 125 member countries of the ICC to withdraw from the body. The ICC president, Akane, responded by warning against "the demise of international rule of law," while the UN rights chief Volker Turk and top EU officials expressed support for her and the institution.
Written for “US vs International Criminal Court” on 2026-08-31,
grounded in this article and the 2 other(s) covering the same event.
Why this leaning score
The article's own words the score was based on. Each is quoted
verbatim and was checked against the article text before being
stored, so you can find it in the original.
Leaning score +0.85 for article 1364 (high confidence, 1 verified quote) · logged 2026-08-21
The US has sanctioned the president of the international criminal court (ICC) and a prosecutor tasked with investigating crimes committed by Israel during its war on Gaza.
asserted
US → sanction → Gaza
The new sanctions designations were unveiled by Marco Rubio, the US secretary of state, who called the Hague-based ICC a “corrupt and fatally politicized supranational court that has maliciously abused its authority and exceeded its mandate”, in a statement.
asserted
that → unveil → statement
Rubio announced that the US would sanction Tomoko Akane of Japan, the ICC president, and Abdoulaye Seye of Senegal, an ICC senior trial lawyer, because they had “directly engaged in efforts by the ICC to investigate, arrest, detain, or prosecute officials whose government has not consented to ICC jurisdiction”.
asserted
government → announce → jurisdiction
The state department last month unveiled an effort to “dismantle the threat” posed by the ICC to US sovereignty.
asserted
department → unveil → sovereignty
The ultimate goal was to “disable the ICC’s ability to operate, target American servicemen or officials, or otherwise threaten American sovereignty”, the department said in a statement.
asserted
department → disable → statement
Rubio has called on the 125 member countries of the ICC to withdraw from the body.
asserted
Rubio → call → body
Donald Trump has said that he is targeting the ICC because of the threat it poses to Israel.
asserted
it → say → Israel
The US had previously sanctioned Karim Khan, an ICC prosecutor, who had successfully sought arrest warrants for the Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, and for former defense minister Yoav Gallant, over war crimes during the Gaza war.
asserted
who → sanction → war
Trump in 2025 sanctioned the court, stating in an executive order that it had “engaged in illegitimate and baseless actions targeting America and our close ally Israel”.
asserted
it → sanction → America
Rubio did not say specifically which efforts the two ICC officials had engaged in, but Israeli media have reported that Seye is also overseeing the investigation into Israeli funding for illegal settlements and the distribution of weapons to settlers in the West Bank.
asserted
Seye → say → Bank
Israeli officials warned local media in May that the ICC may seek five more arrest warrants for ministers and senior military officials involved in violence against Palestinians in the West Bank.
uncertain
ICC → warn → Bank
The US has already designated at least 11 ICC officials for sanctions, stemming from cases that also include investigations into the actions of US soldiers in Afghanistan.
asserted
that → designate → Afghanistan
Neither the US nor Israel are member states of the ICC or recognise its jurisdiction.
asserted
US → recognise → jurisdiction
Four human rights groups sued Trump last week for targeting the ICC.
asserted
groups → sue → ICC
In the lawsuit, they said that the sanctions prevent victims of war crimes from seeking justice.
asserted
sanctions → say → justice
