Nobel Peace Prize winner calls US sanctions on ICC illegal

Sanctions announced by the United States against the International Criminal Court (ICC) were called illegal by Nobel Peace Prize laureate Navi Pillay, according to El Nacional, which published the report on October 15, 2026. The South African judge said the punitive measures seek to obstruct the day-to-day functioning of the court responsible for prosecuting war crimes and crimes against humanity.

In an interview with the AFP news agency, broadcast by the Venezuelan outlet, Pillay argued that the US announcement is a political reaction to the court's investigations. Among the court's recent proceedings, the arrest warrant issued against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over alleged crimes committed in Gaza stands out. The jurist denounced a double standard by Washington, recalling that previous administrations backed the arrest warrant issued against Russian President Vladimir Putin.

The US government seeks to paralyze the technological infrastructure and banking operations of the international judicial body with restrictions that will take effect in the medium term. The decision fits within the stance of the Donald Trump administration to gradually dismantle the court following its decisions on the conflict in the Middle East.

The dispute also escalated diplomatically after the South African official previously chaired a UN investigative commission that examined the military campaign in Gaza. Israeli officials responded with harsh criticism of the award to Pillay, objections that the judge emphatically rejected while defending the independence and continuity of international investigations.