Navi Pillay also said that measures "announced by a country against judges simply because of the court orders they issue" are "unprecedented".
By BBC
Navi Pillay, winner of this year's Nobel Peace Prize, called US sanctions against the International Criminal Court (ICC) "unprecedented" and "unacceptable."
The South African is a former ICC judge and received the Nobel Prize on Friday (9/10) "for her efforts to promote peace and international law", which paved the way for a "more comprehensive global legal order", highlighted the committee in the award ceremony.
US President Donald Trump expressed his dissatisfaction with the choice, and hours later his administration announced sweeping sanctions against the court, significantly intensifying an effort to "dismantle" what it described as a "pariah" institution.
The ICC declared that the measures represented an attack on the rule of law and the foundations of the international legal order.
Donald Trump imposed sanctions on the International Criminal Court after Navi Pillay won the Nobel Peace Prize. — Photo: Fabrice Coffrini/AFP
The court, which is based in The Hague, Netherlands, began operating in 2002 with the purpose of investigating and prosecuting perpetrators of crimes against humanity, war crimes, genocide and crimes of aggression.
Among the cases investigated are conflicts in Darfur, Sudan; in Gaza; in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Ukraine.
As it is an independent international organization, the court does not have police powers and depends on Member States to ensure that its decisions are enforced.
"There is a lot of tension and anxiety surrounding the continuity of international courts, particularly the International Criminal Court (ICC)," Pillay said on Saturday in a video conference during an event at the Nobel Peace Center in Oslo, Norway.
"The most important thing is that sanctions were announced by a country against judges, simply because of the court orders they issue. This is unprecedented, unacceptable."
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio had previously stated that the sanctions — which include a ban on US companies and organizations from transacting with the ICC — were aimed at "defending US sovereignty" and accused the court of trying to prosecute Americans.
The US had already imposed sanctions against 17 ICC judges and staff. The new measure sanctions the court itself as an institution and aims to inhibit its ability to operate financially.
Some of them are expected to come into force after a six-month grace period, a measure that Washington says serves to give member countries time to negotiate a "solution to address" US concerns.
The Trump administration alleges that the ICC is run by what it calls "globalists" who threaten the sovereignty of their country.
The American government was particularly angered by an investigation into the actions of US soldiers in Afghanistan — which the court has now closed — and the issuing of arrest warrants against Israeli officials, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The new sanctions, however, do not require that these warrants be withdrawn so that the measures can be suspended.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres called the US decision "a serious blow to our collective quest for international criminal justice, of which the ICC is a fundamental pillar."
Countries including the United Kingdom, Canada, Denmark, Germany, France, Italy, the Netherlands and Japan said they "regret and strongly disagree" with the sanctions.
Pillay is 85 years old and also served as UN human rights chief, participating in high-profile work analyzing reports of human rights violations in Rwanda, Myanmar and Gaza.
Early in her career, she defended anti-apartheid activists in South Africa and, on Friday, she became the fifth person from the country to receive the Peace Prize — following in the footsteps of Nelson Mandela and Archbishop Desmond Tutu.
"If you applaud a little more, maybe I'll share this award with Trump," she quipped after receiving the honor, in reference to the decision of last year's winner — Venezuelan opponent María Corina Machado — to award the US president her prize.
Trump called Pillay's announcement as the 2026 winner "deplorable and embarrassing" as well as an "indelible stain on Norway."
He has long expressed the opinion that he should have received the prestigious award, having been nominated by several allies last year.
