US sanctions International Criminal Court chief Tomoko Akane of Japan

The United States on Tuesday (Aug 18) imposed sanctions against International Criminal Court President Tomoko Akane of Japan and another senior official as part of Washington's campaign against what it calls a "corrupt and fatally politicised" body.



Washington also slapped sanctions on ICC Senior Trial Lawyer Abdoulaye Seye of Senegal in the Trump administration's latest salvo against The Hague-based court.



"These individuals have directly engaged in efforts by the ICC to investigate, arrest, detain, or prosecute officials whose government has not consented to ICC jurisdiction," US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in a statement, without providing examples.



The ICC replied Tuesday, saying the US sanctions "undermine the rule of law".



"When judicial actors are threatened for applying the law, it is the international legal order itself that is placed at risk," the court said in a statement.



Established in 2002, the ICC prosecutes individuals accused of the gravest atrocities and acts as a last resort when countries do not have adequate legal systems to ensure accountability.