ICC Condemns US Sanctions as Attack on Rule of Law

In brief

The International Criminal Court has strongly rejected sanctions imposed by the United States, describing them as an attempt to obstruct justice and intimidate its judges, prosecutors and cooperating partners. Backed by 125 States Parties under the Rome Statute, the Court urged governments that created it to take concrete measures to preserve its mandate, independence and the international legal order.

Key takeaways

The ICC frames the US sanctions as an unprecedented attack on a treaty-based judicial institution and on the rule of law, aimed at obstructing justice and intimidating those who cooperate with the Court.
The sanctions follow designations against thirteen independent judges and prosecutors, which the Court says punish individuals for serving the cause of justice.
ICC President Tomoko Akane stated the Court will continue to discharge its mandate with independence and impartiality, acting only on the basis of law and evidence.
The Court placed responsibility on the governments that established it, saying its fate rests with the States Parties and the Rome Statute's collective promise that grave crimes must not go unpunished.
The Court and its States Parties have taken measures to ensure continuity and resilience, and it called on States to take concrete actions to secure the means for its work.
The Court warned that future generations and victims of mass atrocities will judge whether the community of states defended the principles it proclaimed.

People

Tomoko Akane

Organizations

International Criminal Court (ICC)
United States government
ICC Public Affairs Unit
States Parties of the Rome Statute

Crime & Society

ICC Condemns US Sanctions as Attack on Rule of Law

Court says US measures obstruct justice and test states' resolve

By Théodore Rivalland Published October 10, 2026

The International Criminal Court has condemned the sanctions imposed on it by the United States, calling the measure an unprecedented attack on a treaty-based judicial institution and on the rule of law itself. Announced today, the sanctions target the Court as an institution. They follow a series of designations against thirteen independent judges and prosecutors who serve the cause of justice.

In a strongly worded statement, the Court framed the move as an attempt to obstruct the course of justice and to prevent it from carrying out the mandate entrusted to it. The institution, created by treaty and backed by 125 States Parties, is charged with investigating and prosecuting genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes, and the crime of aggression. The Court described the sanctions as an assault on the very foundations of the international legal order, striking at the principle that no one stands above the law.

According to the Court, the designation is aimed at disrupting its operations and at intimidating those who work for it or cooperate with it. The institution made clear that it will not be deterred. “The Court will continue to fully discharge its mandate, with independence and impartiality, acting only on the basis of the law and the evidence, for the sake of the countless victims of grave crimes,” said ICC President Tomoko Akane.

The statement also placed responsibility squarely on the governments that established the Court. Its fate, the Court noted, now rests in the hands of the States that created it. The Rome Statute, in this framing, is a collective promise that the most serious crimes of concern to the international community as a whole must not go unpunished. That promise is only as strong as the resolve of those who made it.

Acknowledging that challenges may lie ahead, the Court said that, together with its States Parties, it has made considerable efforts to ensure the continuity and resilience of its activities. It called upon States to continue taking concrete actions, including measures to ensure that the Court has the means necessary to continue its work. The full statement, published by the Court, is available at https://www.icc-cpi.int/news/icc-strongly-rejects-us-sanctions-against-institution

The stakes, the Court argued, extend well beyond its own institutional survival. What is at issue, it said, is the safeguarding of an international order grounded upon the rule of law. No one, it insisted, should be punished for serving the cause of justice.

The statement closed with a warning about historical judgment. Future generations, and above all the victims of mass atrocities, will ask how the international community responded when an institution created to protect them came under attack. They will ask whether the Court held firm, and whether the community of states defended the principles it proclaimed or allowed them to be abandoned under pressure.

Further information is available from the ICC Public Affairs Unit at [email protected], and the Court’s activities can be followed on Twitter/X, Facebook, YouTube, Instagram and Flickr.

Q&A

Who imposed sanctions on the International Criminal Court and against whom are they directed?

The United States imposed sanctions on the Court as an institution, following designations against thirteen independent judges and prosecutors serving the cause of justice.

How did the ICC characterize the sanctions in its statement?

It called the sanctions an unprecedented attack on a treaty-based judicial institution and on the rule of law, an attempt to obstruct justice and intimidate those who work for or cooperate with the Court.

What did ICC President Tomoko Akane say about the Court's response?

ICC President Tomoko Akane said the Court will continue to fully discharge its mandate with independence and impartiality, acting only on the basis of the law and the evidence, for the sake of victims of grave crimes.

What responsibility did the Court assign to the States Parties, and what did it ask of them?

It said its fate rests with the States that created it, called on States to take concrete actions to ensure the Court has the means to continue its work, and noted joint efforts with States Parties to ensure continuity and resilience.