New York : The Nobel Peace Prize awarded to former International Criminal Court (ICC) judge Navi Pillay on Friday was followed hours later by a fresh escalation in US President Donald Trump’s campaign against the court. The Nobel Committee recognised Pillay, a South African jurist who served on the ICC’s Appeals Chamber from 2003 to 2008, amid what it described as political attacks on international legal institutions.
Trump administration announced sanctions against the ICC, which investigates and prosecutes genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity. The court condemned the move as an “assault on the rule of law and on the very foundations of the international legal order” and urged its 125 member states to defend its independence.
“This is not just about defending a single institution, but about safeguarding the international order grounded upon the rule of law. History will judge this moment,” it added.
“President Trump will never allow the International Criminal Court to prosecute Americans,” Rubio said in a statement first published by Reuters. “That is why, today, the United States is sanctioning the International Criminal Court. We will ban transactions with this rogue court, cutting off their resources and crippling its ability to operate,” he added.
The court has said its Afghanistan investigation has been deprioritised. Rubio cited calls by outside experts for the ICC to prosecute American service members, border patrol agents and elected leaders. However, ICC officials have not taken steps towards such prosecutions. The court’s Deputy Prosecutor, Nazhat Shameem Khan, told Reuters that the measures were intended to undermine international law and the work of an independent judicial institution.
The US Treasury announced a six-month initial grace period for the sanctions, alongside exemptions covering certain transactions involving telecommunications, software, pension payments and detainees. Rubio said the measures had been designed to give the court and its member states an opportunity to address Washington’s concerns. The sanctions could be adjusted if those demands were not met.
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