Nobel peace laureate says US sanctions on ICC 'unacceptable'
Pillay, 85, a former ICC judge and United Nations high commissioner for human rights, made the remarks via video link at the Nobel Peace Center in Oslo, hours after her Nobel award was announced
South African human rights lawyer Navi Pillay, awarded the 2026 Nobel Peace Prize for her contributions to international law and peace, has criticised US sanctions against the International Criminal Court (ICC), calling the measures "unheard of" and "unacceptable".
Pillay, 85, a former ICC judge and United Nations high commissioner for human rights, made the remarks via video link at the Nobel Peace Center in Oslo, hours after her Nobel award was announced, says the BBC.
The US government unveiled sanctions targeting the ICC as an institution, restricting US entities from conducting transactions with the court in a move aimed at limiting its financial operations. Washington had previously imposed sanctions on 17 individual ICC judges and officials.
Keep updated, follow The Business Standard's Google news channel
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the measures were intended to "defend US sovereignty" against attempts to prosecute Americans. Washington cited longstanding objections to an ICC investigation into US soldiers in Afghanistan, which has since closed, as well as arrest warrants issued by the court for Israeli officials, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
The sanctions include a six-month grace period, allowing ICC member states to continue funding the court's operations while negotiating with Washington.
The ICC described the measures as an "assault on the rule of law", while UN Secretary-General António Guterres called them a "serious blow" to global criminal justice.
Major US allies, including Britain, Canada, Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and the Netherlands, issued statements expressing regret and strong disagreement with the sanctions.
Pillay is South Africa's fifth Nobel Peace Prize winner, following figures including Nelson Mandela and Archbishop Desmond Tutu. Her career has included defending anti-apartheid activists in South Africa and leading high-profile UN investigations into human rights violations in Rwanda, Myanmar and Gaza.
US President Donald Trump criticised Pillay's award, calling it "disgraceful and embarrassing" and an "indelible stain on the country of Norway".
Pillay responded with a joke, saying she might share her prize with Trump if the audience clapped more. Her remark referred to Venezuela's María Corina Machado, who gave her Nobel Peace Prize to Trump the previous year.
