On October 9, 2026 (local time), the Government of the United States designated the International Criminal Court (ICC) itself as a target of sanctions. Sanctions previously directed at individual judges and prosecutors have thus been extended to the Court as an institution.

The ICC is the only permanent international judicial institution mandated to prosecute the most serious crimes of concern to the international community as a whole, including crimes against humanity, genocide, and war crimes. These measures risk gravely affecting the Court’s judicial activities as a whole and, in turn, the path to justice for victims of the most serious crimes. We are deeply concerned that an independent judicial institution should be subjected to sanctions for having discharged its mandate.

On the same day, it was announced that the Nobel Peace Prize would be awarded to Navi Pillay, a former judge of the ICC. At a time when the role played by international judicial institutions has been met with such recognition and expectation, safeguarding the independence and functioning of the Court is all the more imperative.

Notwithstanding these circumstances, our Center remains steadfast in its commitment to advancing the dissemination of international criminal law and further strengthening international criminal justice in the Asia-Pacific region through research, education, and dialogue.

October 10, 2026

Philipp Osten

Director, Center for International Criminal Justice
ICC Asia-Pacific Academic Network Office

The International Bar Association (IBA) will hold an in-person seminar in Tokyo on 15 October 2026. The ICC Asia-Pacific Academic Network for International Criminal Justice (APN), for which CICJ serves as the Office, is a supporter of the event. CICJ Director Philipp Osten will speak on the panel on the Special Tribunal for the Crime of Aggression against Ukraine.

The seminar brings together experts from the legal profession, international organisations, academia, government and civil society. The first panel will examine the Register of Damage, the Claims Commission and the Compensation Fund; the second will address the Special Tribunal.

• Date: Thursday, 15 October 2026, 12:30–16:00 (JST)
• Venue: Hitotsubashi Hall, Conference Rooms 1–4 (2F, National Center of Sciences Building, 2-1-2 Hitotsubashi, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo)
• Language: English and Japanese (simultaneous interpretation)
• Admission: Free; advance registration required (closes 13 October 2026)
• Registration and programme: https://www.ibanet.org/conference-details/CONF2940
• Organiser: International Bar Association
• Supporters: Human Rights for the Future; ICC Asia-Pacific Academic Network for International Criminal Justice (APN); Japan Federation of Bar Associations; Taiwan Bar Association; Tokyo Bar Association; Truth Hounds

It is with deep concern that we note the latest sanctions announced by the Government of the United States against President Tomoko Akane of the International Criminal Court (ICC)—who has provided invaluable support and cooperation in the establishment of our Center—and staff members of the Office of the Prosecutor.

The ICC is the only permanent international judicial institution mandated to prosecute the most serious crimes of concern to the international community as a whole, including crimes against humanity, genocide, and war crimes. We are deeply concerned about the impact that these measures may have on the ICC’s judicial activities.

Notwithstanding these circumstances, our Center remains steadfast in its commitment to advancing the dissemination of international criminal law and further strengthening international criminal justice in the Asia-Pacific region through research, education, and dialogue.

August 21, 2026

Philipp Osten

Director, Center for International Criminal Justice
ICC Asia-Pacific Academic Network Office