The UK reiterated its support for the independence of the International Criminal Court after the United States imposed new sanctions against the court.
The UK Foreign Office said it supports the court's independence. A ministry spokesperson said the UK was determined to ensure that those responsible for the most serious international crimes are held accountable.
The UK calls for the court to operate under the Rome Statute
The UK Foreign Office said the court must be allowed to carry out its mandate. The ministry said the ICC should exercise its jurisdiction in accordance with the Rome Statute and investigate allegations of international crimes within its remit.
US sanctions expand in scope
The ICC said the United States' new sanctions targeted the court's Japanese President, Tomoko Akane, and Abdoulaye Seye, a Senegalese senior trial lawyer serving in the Office of the Prosecutor.
The sanctions are being imposed as part of the process launched by US President Donald Trump against the ICC in February 2025. The court said that nine of its 18 judges, two deputy prosecutors, its former prosecutor and one staff member were under US sanctions.
The ICC responds to the sanctions
The ICC strongly rejected the new sanctions, describing them as "blatant attacks" on judicial independence.
European Council President Antonio Costa and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen also expressed solidarity with the court. The two leaders said they stood with the ICC, Akane and the court's officials.
Costa and von der Leyen said the ICC helps deliver justice to victims of the world's gravest crimes, adding that the court's judges and officials must be able to carry out this important duty independently and without external pressure.
