The president of the International Criminal Court urged member nations on Oct. 9 to actively defend the institution following an "unprecedented" move by the United States to impose direct sanctions on the court as an institution.

ICC President Tomoko Akane formally rejected the US measures, describing them as a direct assault on the international legal system and an attempt to obstruct justice. She insisted the tribunal remains independent, impartial, and unswayed by external political pressures.

"The court calls upon states to continue taking concrete actions, including to ensure that the court continues to have the necessary means to continue its work. This is not just about defending a single institution, but about safeguarding the international order grounded upon the rule of law," she said.

Akane stressed that the burden of the sanctions would ultimately fall on victims of mass atrocities awaiting accountability.

US President Donald Trump's administration imposed sanctions on the International Criminal Court on Friday, hours after one of its former judges won the Nobel Peace Prize, putting Washington on a diplomatic collision course with European allies.

The Trump administration has long been hostile to the court, founded in 2002 to prosecute war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide, and has previously imposed sanctions on its prosecutors and judges. Friday's move would go much farther, by potentially punishing companies that provide services to the court itself.