In a statement announcing sanctions that also target the International Criminal Court's deputy prosecutor, Senegalese judge Abdoulaye Sy, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the two judges "were directly involved in the ICC's efforts to investigate, arrest, detain, or prosecute officials whose governments have not accepted the court's jurisdiction."
In contrast, the court argued that the sanctions against its officials "undermine the rule of law." It continued in a statement, "When judicial officials are threatened for enforcing the law, the international legal system itself is jeopardized."
She noted that these measures "will not deter her," stressing that she "stands firmly by her employees and by the victims of unimaginable atrocities."
The United States, which is not a party to the international treaty establishing the International Criminal Court, has previously imposed sanctions targeting officials of the judicial body based in The Hague, Netherlands.
The sanctions specifically prohibit judges from entering the United States and impede any real estate or financial transactions involving them in the world's largest economy.
The sanctions are primarily a response to the International Criminal Court's investigations into crimes committed by the Israeli occupation during the aggression against the Gaza Strip.
In 2024, the court issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his then-Defense Minister Yoav Gallant.
Rubio announced last July the launch of a campaign targeting the ICC. He said at the time that "the International Criminal Court and its friends are waging war on our country, not with bullets or missiles, but with legal texts, agreements and the power of so-called international law."
Last month, Washington called on its partners to withdraw from the court, a move that Chad and Venezuela have since taken.
Rubio said that President Donald Trump's administration "has been clear: the International Criminal Court is a corrupt and highly politicized supranational body that has abused its power in bad faith and exceeded its mandate."
Last week, four American human rights organizations filed a lawsuit against Trump over the sanctions he imposed on the International Criminal Court, arguing that these measures prevent victims of war crimes from seeking justice.
