Nobel peace laureate says US sanctions on ICC 'unacceptable'

What the report says

Nobel Peace Prize winner Navi Pillay has criticized the United States’ new sanctions on the International Criminal Court, calling the measures “unheard of” and “unacceptable.” Speaking by video from an event at the Nobel Peace Center in Oslo, the South African legal figure said she was alarmed that one country would penalize judges over rulings they issue. Pillay received the prize for work promoting peace and international law, according to the Nobel committee, and is a former ICC judge and UN human rights chief.

The BBC reported that the Trump administration imposed the sanctions shortly after Trump publicly objected to Pillay’s selection. The measures are intended to limit the ICC’s financial operations and include restrictions on transactions involving US entities. Washington says the court threatens US sovereignty and has pursued cases involving Americans, while the ICC says the action undermines the rule of law and the international legal order.

The article said the US had already sanctioned individual ICC judges and officials, but this step targets the court as an institution. It also noted a six-month grace period before some restrictions take effect. UN Secretary General António Guterres and several allied countries, including the UK, Canada and France, said they opposed the move. The dispute comes amid broader tensions over the ICC’s investigations, including past scrutiny of alleged abuses in Afghanistan and arrest warrants issued for Israeli leaders.