WASHINGTON, October 9, 2026 (WAFA) – The US administration on Friday imposed sanctions on the International Criminal Court (ICC) as an institution after one of its founding judges won the Nobel Peace Prize.

The sanctions came hours after Navi Pillay, the eminent South African jurist and one of the ICC's founding judges, was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for her contributions to international law. Pillay previously chaired the UN commission that concluded Israel committed genocide in Gaza.

"President Trump will never allow the International Criminal Court to prosecute Americans," Secretary of ⁠State Marco 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."

"Either the ⁠ICC will end ​its threats, or we will end the ICC. We expect our allies, many of whom are part of ​the ICC and that rely on American service members for their defense, to rein in the court," Rubio added.

"We have structured this action to provide an opportunity for States Parties to negotiate and present a solution to address our ​concerns. If these efforts do not bear fruit, we will continue to adjust accordingly."

Meanwhile, ICC deputy ​prosecutor, Nazhat Shameem Khan, condemned the US sanctions.

"The sanctions ​are intended ​to undermine the rule ‌of ⁠law internationally and the work that an independent ​judicial ​institution ⁠is doing," Khan said. "Our ​work will ​continue ⁠across all our situations, our ⁠investigations ​and our ​prosecutions."

Reacting to the sanctions, the Dutch foreign minister Tom Berendsen said his country, as the host of the court, will continue to support the court.

“The Netherlands will continue to stand firmly behind the ICC. We will continue to do our utmost to ensure that the Court functions well: as a host country and as a treaty party.”

The ICC president, Judge Tomoko Akane, also said the court's work will not be interrupted.

"The Court will continue to fully discharge its mandate, with independence and impartiality, acting only on the basis of the law and the evidence, for the sake of the countless victims of grave crimes," Akane said.

K.F.