ICC accuses Trump administration of obstructing international justice amid US sanctions

The International Criminal Court has accused the Trump administration of trying to obstruct international justice after the United States expanded sanctions against the tribunal. ICC judge Tomoko Akane addressed the United Nations remotely on Monday, saying the measures were threatening judges, prosecutors and the court itself. She urged all 193 UN member states to take concrete action, individually and collectively, to defend the court.

According to the court, Akane was forced to speak remotely because of the US sanctions. The row escalated after Washington broadened its restrictions last month to target the ICC as an institution, following earlier sanctions on individual officials. The court said the latest measures were announced on 9 October, and Akane described them as extraordinary and unprecedented.

The ICC president responded that the tribunal would continue to carry out its mandate independently and impartially, acting only on the basis of law and evidence. The United States has not commented immediately on Akane's remarks, according to the material provided. In announcing the sanctions, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the US would prohibit transactions with what he called a rogue court, cutting off resources and limiting its ability to act against Washington.

The dispute matters because it places one of the world's main war crimes courts in direct conflict with a major power that is not a member of the tribunal. The ICC was created in 2002 to prosecute war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide when national authorities are unwilling or unable to do so. The current confrontation also comes as the court continues investigations involving the United States and its allies, including Israel, which has made the political stakes higher.

The United Nations setting gave the dispute wider diplomatic visibility, with supporters including the European Union using the General Assembly to express strong backing for the court and its work. Akane's appeal was framed as a call for member states to defend the institution against pressure that she said could affect its judges and prosecutors. The timing also coincided with the awarding of the Nobel Peace Prize to Navi Pillay, a former ICC judge, for efforts to promote peace and international law.

What remains unclear is how far the sanctions will be enforced and whether other states will respond with practical support for the court. The material provided does not indicate any immediate change in US policy or any formal UN action beyond the appeals made at the General Assembly. The next developments to watch are whether member states issue coordinated backing for the ICC and whether Washington expands or adjusts its measures further.

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