ICC Judge Reine Alapini-Gansou Details US Sanctions Impact
As international tensions escalate following statements by Donald Trump at the United Nations General Assembly, International Criminal Court (CPI) judge Reine Alapini-Gansou detailed the severe personal and operational impact of US sanctions on September 24, 2026. Speaking at the French National Assembly in Paris, the Beninese magistrate reported that being placed on Washington’s sanctions list on June 5, 2025, has cut her off from basic banking services and restricted her international mobility amidst unprecedented geopolitical pressure against the tribunal.
The Fiscal and Operational Toll of US Sanctions on ICC Officials
The punitive measures imposed by Washington target nine of the CPI’s 18 judges, alongside three members of the prosecutor’s office and one staff member. For financial administrators and international jurists alike, these designations create profound liquidity and operational hurdles.
“On ne peut plus utiliser de carte de crédit, voyager… nous sommes repartis à l’ère de la préhistoire, il ne nous reste plus qu’à faire du troc,” Reine Alapini-Gansou remarked during her appearance in Paris, highlighting how US prohibitions prevent domestic financial institutions and service providers from interacting with designated individuals. The restriction of standard payment rail access forces institutions and affected personnel to manage severe compliance risks, creating parallel challenges for cross-border institutional administration.
Parallel Pressures and Moscow’s 15-Year Sentence
Beyond Western financial restrictions, the CPI faces direct punitive actions from other global powers. On December 12, 2025, a Russian court sentenced Reine Alapini-Gansou and other court officials in absentia to prison terms ranging from three and a half to fifteen years. Former CPI prosecutor Karim Khan also received a 15-year sentence in connection with the court’s 2023 arrest warrant issuance for Vladimir Putin.
These dual pressures follow CPI proceedings regarding high-profile figures, including Israeli Prime Minister Benyamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant. As Donald Trump called for member states to withdraw from the court—describing it as an institution operating “hors de contrôle”—the tribunal faces what Alapini-Gansou terms a crisis without precedent in the history of international law.
Institutional Resilience and the Future of Global Justice
Despite facing asset freezes, travel bans, and absentia criminal convictions, the CPI’s second vice-president maintains an outlook focused on judicial mandate enforcement. Elected to the court on December 8, 2017, with a term running through March 10, 2027, Alapini-Gansou emphasized that international bodies must rely on member states to uphold the framework of global accountability.
“Il faut rester fidèle à son serment,” she stated at the French National Assembly, underlining that the ultimate responsibility for defending international jurisprudence rests with the sovereign states that established the Rome Statute.