ICC PRESIDENT CONDEMNS USA SANCTIONS ON COURT

International Criminal Court (hereinafter: ICC) President Tomoko Akane addressed the United Nations General Assembly (hereinafter: UNGA) on Monday, 3 November 2026, condemning ICC sanctions imposed by the United States of America (hereinafter: USA) as an attempt to obstruct the course of justice. Akane delivered the court's annual report by pre-recorded video, having been barred from travelling to New York after the USA imposed entry restrictions on her as part of a broader package of measures targeting ICC officials (Philippine Daily Inquirer). She called on all UN member states to take concrete action, individually and collectively, to defend the court and the principles enshrined in the Rome Statute.

Akane's Address To The General Assembly

Akane, a Japanese jurist, appeared before the UNGA in a pre-recorded format, an arrangement made necessary by the USA's decision to bar her entry into the nation. The sanctions targeting her are part of a wider set of measures that Washington has applied against ICC judges and prosecutors. Akane stated that the measures strike at the heart of sovereign equality and judicial independence, framing them as an institutional challenge that extends beyond any individual official (Yeni Şafak). Her appearance before the UNGA marked the court's formal annual reporting moment, a procedural obligation under the relationship agreement between the ICC and the United Nations.

USA sanctions against the institution seek to obstruct the course of justice.

Akane's remarks were directed not only at the USA but at the broader membership of the United Nations. She urged states parties and non-parties alike to defend the court's mandate and uphold the Rome Statute, the founding treaty of the ICC (Anadolu Agency). The appeal reflects the court's position that unilateral coercive measures against its personnel undermine the multilateral legal architecture that member states have collectively constructed since the Rome Statute entered into force in 2002. The ICC has 124 states parties; the USA has never ratified the statute.

Scope Of USA Sanctions Against The ICC

The USA's sanctions against the ICC are not limited to Akane. Washington has imposed measures against ICC judges and prosecutors, with the stated rationale of protecting USA nationals and those of allied states from what it characterises as illegitimate jurisdiction. The sanctions include asset freezes and travel bans, the latter of which directly prevented Akane from delivering her address in person (Japan Times). The court has not publicly disclosed the full list of sanctioned individuals in its own communications, though multiple member states have registered formal objections to the measures through diplomatic channels.

The ICC sanctions form part of a broader pattern of USA unilateral economic and travel measures applied across multiple jurisdictions in recent months. Separate USA Treasury actions have targeted entities in India, Türkiye and Canada over alleged facilitation of Iranian oil transactions, as well as Chinese firms accused of supplying equipment to Cuba's military (Daily Maverick). The measures against the ICC are legally and procedurally distinct from those commercial sanctions, but Akane's address situates them within the same broader question of whether unilateral coercive measures are compatible with international legal obligations.

Judicial Independence And The Rome Statute

The Court's Mandate Under Pressure

Akane affirmed that the ICC will continue its work on behalf of victims of serious crimes regardless of the pressure applied against it. The court's mandate covers war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide committed in states parties or referred to the court by the UN Security Council. Akane's pledge to continue pursuing the court's mission signals that the ICC does not intend to alter its investigative or prosecutorial activities in response to the USA's measures (Philippine Daily Inquirer). The court's operational continuity depends in part on the willingness of member states to enforce its arrest warrants and cooperate with its proceedings.

Sovereign Equality And Multilateral Norms

Akane's reference to sovereign equality carries specific legal weight in the context of the ICC's relationship with the UNGA. The principle, enshrined in the UN Charter, holds that all member states possess equal standing before international law regardless of their political or economic power. By invoking it, Akane framed the USA's sanctions not merely as a bilateral dispute between Washington and The Hague, but as a challenge to the foundational norms of the post-1945 international order (Yeni Şafak). The ICC's position is that no state, including a permanent member of the UN Security Council, may lawfully obstruct the court's judicial functions through unilateral coercive measures.

The UNGA has no binding enforcement authority over the USA's sanctions policy, but it serves as the principal multilateral forum in which the ICC can publicly register its objections and appeal to the collective conscience of member states. Akane's call for concrete individual and collective action by UN members suggests the court is seeking coordinated diplomatic responses, potentially including formal statements, legal opinions or other measures, rather than relying solely on its own institutional voice.

What Comes Next For The ICC

The immediate procedural consequence of the USA's entry ban is that the ICC's president was unable to fulfil her reporting obligation in person for the first time in the court's history under such circumstances. Whether states parties will respond to Akane's call with coordinated diplomatic action remains to be seen; no formal UNGA resolution on the matter was announced in connection with Monday's session. The court's ongoing investigations and prosecutions, including those in situations where the USA has expressed particular objection, are expected to continue, with the ICC's Registry managing cooperation requests through diplomatic channels with willing member states (Japan Times). The Assembly of States Parties, the ICC's governing body, is scheduled to meet in its regular annual session in December 2026, at which the sanctions issue is likely to feature prominently on the agenda.