Nobel Peace Prize winner Navi Pillay has strongly criticised new United States sanctions against the International Criminal Court.
The South African jurist described the measures as “unheard of” and “unacceptable” during a video address at the Nobel Peace Center in Oslo.
Pillay said international courts are facing growing pressure. She warned that hundreds of ICC staff members feel threatened by sanctions targeting judges over their judicial decisions.
The Norwegian Nobel Committee named the 85-year-old lawyer as the 2026 Nobel Peace Prize laureate on Friday. Pillay previously served as a judge at the ICC and as United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights from 2008 to 2014.
Hours after the Nobel announcement, Washington introduced fresh sanctions against the Hague-based court.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the administration would prohibit transactions with the ICC, which he described as a “rogue court.” The move drew criticism from ICC member states and United Nations officials.
The ICC rejected the sanctions and described them as an attack on international law.
Pillay also previously led a UN-appointed commission of inquiry that concluded genocide was occurring in Gaza. The commission is independent and does not formally speak for the United Nations.
Israel rejected those findings and criticised Pillay’s Nobel award. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu accused the Nobel committee of losing its moral direction.
US President Donald Trump also criticised the decision and called Pillay’s selection embarrassing.
The dispute has intensified debate over judicial independence and the ability of international courts to investigate alleged crimes involving powerful states and their allies.
Pillay warned that political pressure on judges could weaken international justice institutions and threaten their continued existence.
