THE HAGUE: The president of the International Criminal Court said on Monday US sanctions imposed on court officials disrupt their personal lives, but vowed the institution would not yield to outside pressure.

Trump’s administration slapped targeted sanctions on nine ICC officials, including prosecutors and judges, in retaliation for investigations into Israeli war crimes. Sources have said Washington is also mulling sanctions against the entire court.

“We never accept any kind of pressure from anyone on issues of interpretation of the statutory framework and adjudication of cases,” judge Tomoko Akane said on the first day of the annual meeting in The Hague of the court’s governing body, made up of representatives of its 125 member states.

Akane said the sanctions had unsettled the family lives of targeted officials and disrupted their financial transactions, even in ICC member states in Europe.

Published in Dawn, December 2nd, 2025