ICC President Warns US Sanctions Threaten Judicial Independence and Rule of Law

Speaking at the Four Courts to mark the start of the legal year, ICC president Tomoko Akane warned that recent US sanctions targeting ICC officials are part of a wider attack on the rule of law and jeopardize the court’s autonomy. She highlighted that twelve of the court’s eighteen judges are now subject to at least one coercive measure. Chief Justice Donal O’Donnell described the sanctions as unjustified and sobering, and stressed the need for a formal channel allowing judges to negotiate remuneration and pensions.

He cited the Council of Europe’s anti-corruption body Greco, which in 2014 recommended establishing such a structure, but noted the government has never implemented it. O’Donnell argued that this failure weakens constitutional resilience and called for reforms to protect judicial independence from political pressure.