ICC president says US has no grounds to impose sanctions on her

International Criminal Court (ICC) President Tomoko Akane has said the United States has no grounds to impose sanctions on her, noting that she would resist pressure from Washington.

Akane vowed to resist the sanctions and protect the Hague-based judicial body, Caliber.Az reports, citing Japanese media.

"I have no reason to incur (U.S.) sanctions," Akane noted at an online press conference. "I will resist any adverse consequences."

The administration of President Donald Trump has taken a hostile stance toward the ICC over its investigations, including into alleged war crimes by U.S. service members.

With the United States having also imposed sanctions on the court itself, Akane added, "The ICC must not be dismantled" and called on ICC member states, including Japan, to support the court.

Akane is among nine of the ICC's 18 judges who have been targeted by U.S. sanctions, which freeze assets in the United States, effectively cutting off access to the U.S. financial system, and generally bar those targeted from entering the country.

By Bakhtiyar Abbasov