SAFA — UN experts have condemned US sanctions against the president and a senior official of the International Criminal Court (ICC), urging member states to take immediate steps to shield the court from unlawful interference.

In a statement issued Monday, the UN experts said the United States imposed sanctions on ICC President Judge Tomoko Akane of Japan and ICC Senior Trial Lawyer Abdoulaye Seye of Senegal on August 18.

The experts urged ICC member states and other countries committed to international accountability to take “bold and urgent action” to safeguard the court and mitigate the impact of the sanctions on its judges, prosecutors and staff.

The latest designations bring to 11 the number of current or former ICC judges and personnel sanctioned under US Executive Order 14203.

The measures come amid a broader US campaign against the ICC, which intensified following the court’s actions concerning Israel and its genocidal war on Gaza.

On November 21, 2024, the ICC issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Israeli War Minister Yoav Gallant over war crimes and crimes against humanity committed during Israel’s war on Gaza.

The court said there were reasonable grounds to believe Netanyahu and Gallant bore criminal responsibility for crimes including starvation as a method of warfare and the crimes against humanity of murder, persecution and other inhumane acts.

The UN experts warned that the latest sanctions threaten the independence of the ICC and could undermine decades of progress toward international criminal accountability.

“The ICC and its personnel cannot be expected to weather this powerful storm alone,” the experts said, warning that the institution and its work now face an “unprecedented attack.”

They called on ICC member states to take concrete measures to protect the court and ensure that its judges, prosecutors and staff can carry out their mandates without intimidation or political interference.

“Sanctions targeting ICC justice personnel cannot be allowed to stand,” the experts said. “Member States of the ICC must act with conviction, courage and haste to protect the court and facilitate its work.”