Navi Pillay condemns US sanctions against International Criminal Court

Navi Pillay, the 2026 Nobel Peace Prize laureate, called US sanctions against the International Criminal Court unacceptable. She said pressure on judges was fuelling anxiety about the future of international justice.

The 85-year-old South African jurist spoke on October 10 by video link from Nuremberg at an event hosted by the Nobel Peace Center in Oslo. She said hundreds of international court staff felt threatened and condemned sanctions imposed on judges for their rulings.

The United States announced new restrictions after the Norwegian Nobel Committee awarded Pillay the prize on October 9. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Washington would prohibit transactions with the court. The ICC rejected the sanctions as an attack on international law.

Pillay previously served as an ICC judge and was UN high commissioner for human rights from 2008 to 2014. Her latest remarks responded to restrictions targeting an institution where she had worked.