Nobel Winner Navi Pillay Blasts Trump's "Unlawful" ICC Sanctions

Nobel Peace Prize winner Navi Pillay on Wednesday hit out at Donald Trump’s illegal sanctions against the International Criminal Court (ICC), stating the US president needed a lesson in international law.

In an interview with AFP, Pillay, 85, said it was no coincidence the US sanctions on the ICC were announced just hours after her Nobel, viewing it as a reaction to the fact that the award was not given to President Trump. She advised Trump to "Call in your legal advisors to explain to you what international law is" and why it is unlawful to interfere with an independent international court.

The US announced sanctions against the ICC on Friday, aimed at crippling the court’s day-to-day operations, which include trying individuals for war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide. These sanctions, which will affect the court’s technology and banking operations, are set to take effect in six months. Trump’s administration has vowed to dismantle the court brick-by-brick, expressing fury that judges have issued an arrest warrant for Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for alleged crimes in Gaza.

Pillay noted that previous US administrations had welcomed an ICC arrest warrant against Russian President Vladimir Putin, calling Trump's stance selective, double standards, and wrong. She stated that what Trump wanted was an undertaking that they won’t pursue investigations of US citizens, which she said you can’t do. Pillay was awarded the 2026 Nobel Peace Prize for her lifelong commitment to human rights, justice, and accountability.

The Norwegian Nobel Committee, in announcing its decision, stated that "Peace requires justice." Dutch Prime Minister Rob Jetten has urged talks with Washington during the six-month period to discuss reforms to the court, based in The Hague, but Pillay called the idea of reforms euphemistic. Pillay condemned the US sanctions as unlawful, unacceptable interference in the independence of the judiciary and called on state parties of the tribunal, including Japan, to express stronger support for it.

The Trump administration has repeatedly accused the ICC of encroaching on state sovereignty, including through its investigations into alleged war crimes committed by US military personnel.