U.S. Sanctions ICC President Tomoko Akane in Unprecedented Move

The U.S. imposed sanctions on ICC President Tomoko Akane and a senior trial lawyer on August 18, 2026, under Executive Order 14203, freezing their U.S.-held assets. Akane is the Court's sitting president — the first to be personally targeted. The ICC condemned the move as a "flagrant attack." Akane had warned in December 2025 that sanctions could jeopardize the Court's very existence.