US sanctions International Criminal Court after Nobel to Navi Pillay

The US government announced sanctions against the International Criminal Court (ICC) on October 9, 2026, hours after the former court judge Navi Pillay was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, according to the outlet Amp. The measure seeks to prohibit transactions with the body and restrict its financial and operational capacities.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio justified the measures by stating that the country does not recognize the court's jurisdiction over American citizens or military personnel. Washington gave member states a six-month deadline to address the demands raised by the Trump administration before tightening the financial blockade.

For its part, the court rejected the sanctions and described the decision as a direct attack on the rule of law and the international legal system in an official statement reported by Amp. Various international actors, including the European Union and UN representatives, expressed their disagreement with the restrictions imposed by the White House.

Financial sanctions against courts or multilateral bodies directly limit these institutions' access to global payment and clearing systems, which hinders their operational functioning and raises the cost of managing complex international investigations.