European Union (EU) leaders on Wednesday backed the International Criminal Court following sanctions imposed by the United States on two senior officials.

The U.S. sanctions came on  August 17. before the  European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and European Council President Antonio Costa reaffirmed their backing for the ICC.

In separate posts on social media platform X, the EU leaders said they stood firmly with the ICC, its President Tomoko Akane and other officials working to uphold the court’s mandate.

“The ICC helps deliver justice to the victims of some of the world’s most horrific crimes,” they said.

They added that ICC judges and officials must be allowed to perform their duties independently and without external pressure.

The administration of U.S. President Donald Trump earlier on Tuesday imposed sanctions on Mr Akane, a Japanese national, and Abdoulaye Seye, a Senegalese national and senior trial lawyer at the ICC.

The U.S. government accused the two officials of directly engaging in efforts by the ICC to investigate, arrest, detain or prosecute officials whose governments had not consented to the court’s jurisdiction.

The sanctions generally prohibit U.S. nationals from conducting transactions with Messrs Akane and Seye and restrict the two officials from accessing the U.S. financial system. 

(Xinhua/NAN)