US sanctions ICC president and senior trial lawyer
The US has imposed sanctions on the ICC's president and a senior trial lawyer, citing politicised actions and escalating a campaign against the court.
How it was covered
- BBC News was the only channel found covering it.
- Channel 5, BBC One, BBC Two, Channel 4, GB News, ITV and Sky News: not found in tracked broadcasts.
The Full Story
A plain summary built from the channels that reported this story. Facts only one channel reported are attributed to it.
The United States has imposed sanctions on the president of the International Criminal Court and a senior trial lawyer, in the latest escalation of the Trump administration's campaign against the court. Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced the measures against Tomoko Akane of Japan, the ICC's president, and an unnamed senior trial lawyer, accusing the court of being too politicised.
The move is widely seen as a response to the ICC's investigations targeting Israel, a close US ally. In 2024, the court issued an arrest warrant for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over the war in Gaza. Last month, the US accused the ICC of threatening Americans and called on partner countries to withdraw from the court.
The sanctions are part of a broader effort by the Trump administration to dismantle the institution. According to State Department correspondent Tom Bateman, the administration has already sanctioned at least 11 ICC officials, including judges and prosecutors, and is running a diplomatic campaign to pressure the court's more than 120 member states to leave.
Bateman described the approach as an attempt to "pull the rug out from this system of international law" and replace it with a system where powerful countries dominate. The administration's hostility to the ICC dates back to Trump's first term, when the court investigated US personnel in Afghanistan. More recently, the arrest warrants against Israeli officials have driven the escalation.
The ICC has responded with a strongly worded statement, saying such sanctions undermine the international rule of law. The sanctions come as the court faces mounting pressure from the US, which has also called on allies to withdraw from the institution.
Key Claims
Claims reported during this story's coverage, grouped by how many channels reported each one. Select a dot to see the source excerpt.
| Claim |  |
|---|---|
| Only on one channel | |
| The ICC issued an arrest warrant for Benjamin Netanyahu in 2024. | |
| The sanctions were a response to ICC investigations targeting Israel. | |
| The US had previously sanctioned at least 11 ICC officials. | |
| The US imposed sanctions on ICC president Tomoko Akane and a senior trial lawyer. | |
Channel Perspectives
What each channel focused on, with key quotes.
BBC News focused on the escalation of the Trump administration's campaign against the ICC, providing context from State Department correspondent Tom Bateman. The report highlighted the diplomatic pressure on member states and the court's response, framing the sanctions as part of a broader attempt to dismantle international legal institutions.
- “dismantle the International Criminal Court. He says brick by brick.”
- “pull the rug out from this system of international law, of big multilateral international institutions”
- “the sanctions undermine the rule of law”
Broadcast Timeline
News broadcasts tracked for this story, in time order.