On August 18, 2026, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced the designation of two International Criminal Court (“ICC”) officials—Tomoko Akane of Japan, the President of the ICC, and Abdoulaye Seye of Senegal, an ICC Senior Trial Lawyer—under Executive Order 14203, titled “Imposing Sanctions on the International Criminal Court,” citing their direct engagement in the ICC’s efforts to investigate, arrest, detain, or prosecute officials whose governments have not consented to ICC jurisdiction. The sanctions form part of the Trump Administration’s broader diplomatic campaign to dismantle what it characterizes as a corrupt, politicized supranational court that has exceeded its mandate and threatened state sovereignty by asserting authority over nationals of the United States and other countries that have not ratified the Rome Statute, with Secretary Rubio warning that additional measures may follow until the ICC is rendered incapable of targeting American nationals and those of other non-States Parties.
On the same day, the Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control issued ICC-related General License 12, which temporarily authorizes wind down transactions with Seye, Akane or entities in which they own a 50 percent or greater interest. According to the general license, wind down transactions are authorized until September 17, 2026.