The president of the European Council, António Costa, and the president of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, reiterated this Wednesday their "firm" support for the International Criminal Court (ICC) and its president, Tomoko Akane, after the United States announced sanctions against the Japanese magistrate and another jurist of the court.
"President Von der Leyen and I stand firmly by the International Criminal Court, its president, Tomoko Akane, and the officials who defend its mission," Costa stated in a message shared on social media, a declaration that has also been shared by the head of the Community Executive.
In that joint communication, the leaders of the main institutions of the European Union highlighted the relevance of the court based in The Hague in the prosecution of the most serious crimes. "The ICC helps to bring justice to the victims of some of the most horrible crimes in the world," they noted.
Likewise, they insisted on the importance of ensuring the autonomy of the court against interference from other states or external actors. "To carry out this essential work, its judges and officials must be able to act independently and without external pressures."
The stance expressed by Costa and Von der Leyen comes a day after the U.S. Department of the Treasury announced the inclusion of Akane and Senegalese lawyer Abdoulaye Seye on its 'blacklist' for their involvement in the investigations opened by the ICC regarding alleged war crimes committed in Gaza.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio defended the decision, claiming that both would have "directly participated in the ICC's initiatives to investigate, detain, imprison, or prosecute officials" of governments that have not signed the Rome Statute, something that, he warned in a statement, "sets a dangerous precedent for all nations."
In November 2024, the ICC issued arrest warrants against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and then Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity linked to the military offensive that began more than a year earlier on the Gaza Strip.