Nobel for former ICC judge Navi Pillay, Trump sanctions court hours later

Hours after Navi Pillay received the Nobel Peace Prize, the United States imposed sanctions on the International Criminal Court. The move sharpened Washington's conflict with the court and raised the prospect of friction with European allies.US President Donald Trump and Navi Pillay, a former ICC judge and Nobel Peace Prize winner.The Nobel Peace Prize awarded to former International Criminal Court (ICC) judge Navi Pillay on Friday was followed hours later by a fresh escalation in US President Donald Trump’s campaign against the court, with Washington imposing sanctions on the institution and risking a diplomatic clash with European allies.The Nobel Committee recognised Pillay, a South African jurist who served on the ICC’s Appeals Chamber from 2003 to 2008, amid what it described as political attacks on international legal institutions. The award was presented as a show of support for tribunals seeking to hold perpetrators of serious international crimes accountable.Hours later, the Trump administration announced sanctions against the ICC, which investigates and prosecutes genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity. The court condemned the move as an “assault on the rule of law and on the very foundations of the international legal order” and urged its 125 member states to defend its independence.“The Court cannot stand alone. Its fate now rests also in the hands of the states that created it,” the ICC said in a statement, warning that the consequences extended beyond the institution itself. “This is not just about defending a single institution, but about safeguarding the international order grounded upon the rule of law. History will judge this moment,” it added.The sanctions mark a significant escalation in Washington’s longstanding hostility towards the court. While the US has previously targeted individual ICC prosecutors and judges, the latest measures could also penalise companies providing services to the institution. The United States signed the Rome Statute that established the ICC but never ratified the treaty.TRUMP SAYS US WILL CUT OFF COURT'S RESOURCESUS Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the sanctions were intended to prevent the ICC from pursuing Americans.“President Trump will never allow the International Criminal Court to prosecute Americans,” Rubio said in a statement first published by Reuters.“That is why, today, the United States is sanctioning the International Criminal Court. We will ban transactions with this rogue court, cutting off their resources and crippling its ability to operate,” he added.Washington has repeatedly criticised the ICC over arrest warrants issued against Israeli officials, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and its investigation into alleged crimes by US personnel in Afghanistan. The court has said its Afghanistan investigation has been deprioritised.Rubio cited calls by outside experts for the ICC to prosecute American service members, border patrol agents and elected leaders. However, ICC officials have not taken steps towards such prosecutions.The court’s Deputy Prosecutor, Nazhat Shameem Khan, told Reuters that the measures were intended to undermine international law and the work of an independent judicial institution.“Our work will continue across all our situations, our investigations and our prosecutions,” she said.SIX-MONTH GRACE PERIOD LEAVES ROOM FOR DIALOGUEThe US Treasury announced a six-month initial grace period for the sanctions, alongside exemptions covering certain transactions involving telecommunications, software, pension payments and detainees.Rubio said the measures had been designed to give the court and its member states an opportunity to address Washington’s concerns. The sanctions could be adjusted if those demands were not met.The announcement puts the US on a potential collision course with European allies, many of which strongly support the ICC.European Union foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said the six-month period “offers a window for dialogue”, adding that the bloc had options to ensure the court could continue its work.Belgium’s foreign minister called for the EU to activate a blocking statute to protect the institution from the effects of the US measures.The ICC is based in the Netherlands and has 125 member states. All EU countries are members, as are NATO members apart from the United States and Turkey.NOBEL COMMITTEE WARNS OF POLITICAL ATTACKS ON INTERNATIONAL LAWThe Nobel Committee explicitly linked Pillay’s award to concerns over growing pressure on international judicial institutions.“An international legal system in which war criminals are held to account and the victims of abuse see justice served is a precondition for a peaceful world,” the committee said.The ICC has issued arrest warrants against more than 70 people, including political leaders and figures involved in major international conflicts. Those targeted include Russian President Vladimir Putin, Netanyahu, Hamas figures, former Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir and former Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi.Charges against Kenyan President William Ruto and former Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta were withdrawn.The Trump administration has urged countries to withdraw from the court, but the institution continues to receive backing from most of its member states.ICC PREPARES FOR DISRUPTION FROM US SANCTIONSThe sanctions could have far-reaching consequences because US-based companies are generally barred from conducting transactions with sanctioned entities. Such restrictions can prompt banks to close accounts, insurers to withdraw coverage and software providers to end cooperation.The Trump administration imposed targeted sanctions on ICC officials during his first term, but those measures were rescinded under former President Joe Biden. Washington announced fresh sanctions against court officials days after Trump returned to office in January 2025.Anticipating the possibility of broader restrictions, ICC officials had spent months preparing contingency measures. These included moving office computers away from Microsoft software towards open-source alternatives and making alternative arrangements for banking and health insurance.The latest sanctions, announced on the same day Pillay received the Nobel Peace Prize, intensify the confrontation between Washington and an international court whose supporters say its independence is essential to holding perpetrators of serious crimes accountable.- EndsWith inputs from Reuters