Nobel laureate condemns 'unacceptable' US sanctions against International Criminal Court

The United States under former President Donald Trump recently imposed sweeping sanctions on the International Criminal Court (ICC), a move widely condemned internationally. These sanctions, announced on Friday, October 9, 2026, aim to prevent the ICC from prosecuting American citizens and target the court itself by banning transactions and restricting its operations. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated the administration's intent to dismantle the ICC "brick by brick" if it continued its "threats."

The ICC immediately denounced these measures as an "assault on the rule of law" and an attempt to obstruct justice. ICC President Tomoko Akane urged member states to defend the court's independence, warning that undermining it would benefit those accused of serious crimes. Several key US allies, including Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, Denmark, and the United Kingdom, expressed strong opposition to the sanctions, reaffirming their support for the ICC. The United Nations Secretary-General also criticized the decision, calling it a "serious blow" to international criminal justice.

These sanctions were announced just hours after Navi Pillay, a South African jurist and former ICC judge, was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize on the same day. Former President Trump reacted angrily to Pillay's win, claiming he deserved the prize for his own diplomatic efforts. He criticized Pillay as a "mystery person" and amplified accusations that she was an "unabashed hater of America and Israel." Trump declared the Nobel Committee's decision a "disgraceful and embarrassing" one that had "forever discredited" the prize.