South African lawyer Navi Pillay, winner of the Nobel Peace Prize of 2026, today considered the sanctions announced by the United States against the International Criminal Court (ICC) “unacceptable”.
© Lusa
10/10/2026
by
Lusa
A south African lawyer Navi Pillay, winner of the 2026 Nobel Peace Prize, today considered “unacceptable” the sanctions announced by the United States against the International Criminal Court (ICC).
“There is so much tension and concern about the sustainability of international courts, particularly the ICC in The Hague,” said Navi Pillay, who participated in a video conference from Nuremberg, Germany, at an event organized at the Nobel Peace Center in Oslo.
“ Even more serious, sanctions were announced by a country against judges because of the decisions they made. This is unprecedented and is unacceptable,” added France-Presse (AFP), the 85-year-old lawyer, who, at the time of her appointment, had launched an appeal in defence of international law, attacked on all sides.
Nora Pillay, in particular, presided over an independent UN commission of inquiry which, last year, accused Israel of committing genocide in the Gaza Strip.
The choice of the Norwegian Nobel Committee was followed by the announcement of Washington's future adoption of new sanctions against the ICC, a pillar of the world legal order.
For Washington, these sanctions are justified by the need to “defend American sovereignty and its citizens against the threat posed by the ICC”, according to a statement published by the State Department.
“ They want more power and they want it at our expense,” said US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, classifying the ICC as “a dishonest court.”.
These sanctions, once applied, will imply a ban on any financial transaction with the ICC, to “cut its resources and reduce its ability to operate,” the head of US diplomacy added.