The AEPL has taken a stand against the sanctions that the United States wishes to impose on certain members of the ICC. Our statement has been sent to several European Commissioners and several Members of the European Parliament.

Europe must go beyond mere declarations

The new US sanctions targeting Tomoko Akane, President of the ICC, and Abdoulaye Seye, Senior Trial Lawyer, are not merely a diplomatic dispute: they undermine the very independence of international justice.

The European Union cannot be content with mere declarations of support: it must make use of the EU freezing regulation, in particular by adding the US sanctions against the ICC to its annex, whilst recognising that this tool remains limited unless accompanied by concrete measures. The AEPL therefore calls for a more practical European response: safeguarding the banking, digital and insurance services required by the Court; ensuring effective remedies; maintaining continuity of funding; engaging in diplomatic cooperation with States Parties; and responding to pressure aimed at provoking withdrawals from the Rome Statute.

We also advocate a balanced approach: supporting the ICC does not mean abandoning any critical scrutiny of it. We emphasise the need for the Court itself to set an example in terms of transparency, independence, the rights of the defence and internal accountability, particularly in light of the Karim Khan case.

We are making a three-pronged appeal: to protect the ICC from extraterritorial coercion, to strengthen cooperation under the Rome Statute, and to demand that the Court provide exemplary safeguards for the rule of law. The central idea is that credible international justice must be both independent of political powers and strictly bound by the law.

The full text of our position statement is available here: ICC sanctions – position statement (French)