Rubio announces sanctions against International Criminal Court president, top ICC lawyer

Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced Tuesday new sanctions against International Criminal Court President Tomoko Akane and Senior Trial Lawyer Abdoulaye Seye as tensions flare between the court and the Trump administration.

Rubio launched a diplomatic effort to dismantle the ICC last month, after three of the court’s judges filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration in New York in June, arguing sanctions that were levied against them last year were unlawful.

The secretary claimed the ICC was stepping outside its jurisdiction because the United States is not bound by the 2002 Rome Statute, which established the international court to prosecute genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity.

"These individuals have directly engaged in efforts by the ICC to investigate, arrest, detain, or prosecute officials whose government has not consented to ICC jurisdiction," Rubio said, referring to Akane and Seye. 

"The ICC has repeatedly attempted to assert authority over nationals of the United States and other countries that have not consented to its jurisdiction or ratified the Rome Statute," he continued. "This sets a dangerous precedent for all nations."   

Rubio has accused the court in a Wall Street Journal op-ed last month and a video on social media of being run by "globalist bureaucrats." He also accused the ICC in his op-ed of being “backed and run by a powerful network of leftist nongovernment organizations, smug globalists, and hostile Third World governments united by their enmity toward the U.S.”

The comments come after the Trump administration sanctioned the court over a case against Israel last year, in which the court issued arrest warrants for multiple Israeli leaders, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, over the war against Hamas.

Misty Severi is a news reporter for Just The News. You can follow her on X for more coverage.