‘Unheard of, unacceptable’: Nobel peace laureate Navi Pillay on US sanctions on International Criminal Court

Oslo: Former UN rights chief and newly named Nobel Peace Prize laureate Navi Pillay on Saturday denounced recently announced US sanctions against the International Criminal Court (ICC), describing the measure as "unheard of, unacceptable."

Speaking via video link from Nuremberg during an event at the Nobel Peace Center in Oslo, Pillay addressed the rising instability surrounding global legal institutions.

"There is so much tension and anxiety over the continued existence of international courts, mainly the International Criminal Court in The Hague," Pillay said. She further lamented that "there are hundreds of staff who feel they are under threat."

"Most importantly, sanctions have been announced by one country against the judges, just for the judicial orders they issue. This is unheard of, unacceptable," said the 85-year-old South African lawyer.

The Norwegian Nobel Committee announced on Friday that Pillay, a former ICC judge, was awarded this year's Nobel Peace Prize. The choice drew swift condemnation from both Israel and the United States, whose leader Donald Trump has long sought the honour for himself.

Hours after Pillay was named the recipient, Washington unveiled new punitive measures against the tribunal, sparking immediate criticism from UN leadership and ICC member states. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated Washington would prohibit transactions with what he labeled a "rogue court," escalating the administration's campaign against the tribunal.

'History will judge'

In a statement, the ICC rejected the US action as a direct assault on international law, warning that "history will judge this moment."

Prior to her Nobel recognition, Pillay served as UN High Commissioner for Human Rights from 2008 to 2014 and later led the UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry (COI). Last year, the independent body determined that genocide was occurring in Gaza. Israel vehemently rejected the findings, calling them "distorted and false."

Following the Nobel announcement, Israel's foreign ministry claimed the award legitimised "anti-Israel hatred," adding that it thought Nazi propagandist Joseph Goebbels must be "applauding from hell." Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu remarked that the committee had "lost its moral compass" by honoring "a bigot."

Meanwhile, speaking at a rally in Syracuse, New York, Trump—who had urged ICC member states to abandon the court last month—called the selection "a disgraceful and embarrassing decision" and claimed he had "never heard of" Pillay. (AFP)