Washington sanctions Senegalese magistrate Abdoulaye Seye, Dakar voices concern

On August 18, the United States announced new sanctions against two officials of the International Criminal Court (ICC), including Senegalese legal officer Abdoulaye Seye. The measures, which take effect on September 17, also target Tomoko Akane, the Japanese president of the Hague-based court.

According to information released by Washington, the designated individuals will have any assets held in the United States frozen. They will no longer be allowed to enter US territory, and US persons or entities may not conduct transactions with them.

Measures linked to the Court’s activities

The sanctions are based on a US presidential executive order signed in February 2025. It provides for financial and visa restrictions against individuals involved in ICC investigations targeting US or Israeli nationals.

Washington, which is not a party to the Rome Statute, accuses the Court of acting in cases involving states that have not accepted its jurisdiction. The US administration portrays the court as a politicised institution that undermines state sovereignty.

Abdoulaye Seye is a senior trial lawyer at the ICC Office of the Prosecutor. He is also Senegal’s candidate for an election to the position of judge at the Court. He becomes the second Senegalese legal officer serving in The Hague to be affected by US sanctions in less than a year, after Mame Mandiaye Niang, a deputy prosecutor targeted in a previous round of measures.

Dakar’s response

In a statement issued on August 20, Senegal’s Ministry of African Integration, Foreign Affairs and Senegalese Abroad said it had learned of the measures with deep concern.

The government recalled that the ICC is an important instrument in the fight against impunity. It also highlighted Senegal’s special position as the first state to ratify the Rome Statute, on February 2, 1999.

Dakar expressed its solidarity with Abdoulaye Seye and the other staff members concerned. Senegal also said that the independent exercise of judicial duties within an international court should not expose those concerned to pressure likely to obstruct their mandate.

International criticism

The ICC denounced an attack on its independence. UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk called for the sanctions to be lifted. European officials, the German and Dutch authorities, and Japan also expressed support for the Court’s independent functioning, according to reported information.

In the United States, several organisations filed a case before a federal court on August 11 to challenge the sanctions targeting ICC judges and investigators, as well as other individuals and organisations. They notably question the legality of the measures under the US Constitution.