BRUSSELS, Aug. 19 — EU leaders on Wednesday voiced firm support for the International Criminal Court (ICC), a day after the United States imposed sanctions on the court’s president and a senior lawyer.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and European Council President Antonio Costa said on social media platform X that they stood firmly with the ICC, its President Tomoko Akane and officials working to uphold its mission.
“The ICC helps deliver justice to the victims of some of the world’s most horrific crimes,” they said, adding that the court’s judges and officials must be able to carry out their work independently and without external pressure.
The Trump administration on Tuesday imposed sanctions on ICC President Tomoko Akane of Japan and ICC Senior Trial Lawyer Abdoulaye Seye of Senegal, accusing them of having “directly engaged in efforts by the ICC to investigate, arrest, detain, or prosecute officials whose government has not consented to ICC jurisdiction.”
The sanctions generally prohibit U.S. nationals from conducting transactions with Akane and Seye and effectively bar the two officials from accessing the U.S. financial system. (Namibia Daily News / Xinhua)
