"International Criminal Court" responds to US sanctions: "They will not deter us"

The International Criminal Court rejected new US sanctions targeting its president Tomoko Akane and deputy prosecutor Abdoulaye S., asserting that the measures "will not deter it" and undermine the rule of law. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio accused the officials of participating in efforts to investigate officials from non-member states, calling the court "corrupt and politicized." Netanyahu welcomed the sanctions, while the Netherlands and Japan announced their rejection.

The International Criminal Court rejected new US sanctions targeting its president Tomoko Akane and deputy prosecutor Abdoulaye S., asserting that these measures "will not deter it" and that it stands firmly alongside its staff and victims of "unimaginable atrocities." This came in an official statement responding to the sanctions announced by Washington on Tuesday, which the court described as undermining the rule of law. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio accused the targeted officials of direct involvement in the court's efforts to investigate officials from states that do not recognize its jurisdiction, describing the court as a "highly corrupt and politicized" body. The move comes amid the confrontation between Washington and the court following its issuance of arrest warrants in 2024 against occupation government head Benjamin Netanyahu and former security minister Yoav Gallant over the war in Gaza. Netanyahu welcomed the sanctions and congratulated Rubio. In contrast, the Netherlands and Japan announced their rejection of the sanctions, considering them to hinder the court's work. The sanctions also face objections within the United States, where human rights organizations have turned to the judiciary to challenge them.