On Friday, October 9, the Norwegian Nobel Committee awarded the 2026 Peace Prize to the South African jurist Navanethem “Navi” Pillay, 85, “for her commitment to peace and international law” (ABC News, Reuters, AP). Pillay was a judge of the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda and of the International Criminal Court, and UN High Commissioner for Human Rights from 2008 to 2014. Israel attacked the choice and Trump called it “disgraceful” (ANSA). A few hours later the United States imposed sanctions on the International Criminal Court as a whole (Reuters in an exclusive, AP, Guardian). According to the Washington Post the measures aim to cut the Court off from the global financial system and threaten countries that do business with it. Secretary of State Marco Rubio spoke of a “rogue tribunal” (ANSA); the Court replied that it “firmly rejects” the sanctions.
The world’s most political prize and an American order arrive on the same day on the same subject: who can hold a government to account for war crimes. The Court depends on states to carry out arrest warrants and on banks to pay salaries and suppliers: the sanctions hit precisely this second lever.
Nothing changes immediately for people living in Italy. It matters for Europe, though: if European companies and banks have to choose between working with the Court and respecting the American measures, the issue will soon reach Brussels and Rome. The government has already said it supports the Court.
Those who defend the Court argue that hitting a tribunal means hitting the principle that no one is above the law, and that Europe must protect it with concrete instruments.
Washington and Israel argue that the Court is politicized and unfairly pursues their citizens and allies; for them the prize to Pillay confirms the already denounced partiality of international justice.
The prize and the sanctions should be read together: the Nobel put the Court in the spotlight, and Washington chose to hit it on the same day. DailyDrop has not yet seen the text of the order, so it cannot say which accounts or suppliers are affected. To watch: the response of European governments and whether the banks will keep working with The Hague.
Reuters · AP · ANSA · The Guardian · The Washington Post · October 9, 2026
Nobel Peace Prize to Navi Pillay. Hours later, the United States sanctions the International Criminal Court
The European Union calls the measures “deplorable” and Italy reaffirms its support for the Court; Israel and Trump attack the prize. Today, Saturday, attention turns to the responses of European governments.
On Friday the Norwegian Nobel Committee awarded the 2026 Peace Prize to the South African jurist Navanethem “Navi” Pillay, 85, “for her commitment to peace and international law” (ABC News, Reuters, AP). Raised under apartheid, Pillay was a judge of the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda and of the International Criminal Court, then UN High Commissioner for Human Rights from 2008 to 2014 (Le Monde, CBS News). She recently chaired the United Nations commission of inquiry that spoke of “genocide” in Gaza (Le Monde). She told German television that the Nuremberg trials inspired her and that the prize shows how important criminal justice is (Tagesschau). Reactions were harsh: Israel called the choice “grotesque” and an official said that “Goebbels applauds from hell” (ANSA, Deutschlandfunk), while Donald Trump judged it “disgraceful” (ANSA).
A few hours later Washington struck the very institution Pillay has served. The United States imposed sanctions on the International Criminal Court as a whole, Reuters reports in an exclusive, followed by AP and the Guardian. According to the Washington Post the measures aim to cut the Court off from the global financial system and threaten punishment for countries that do business with it. Secretary of State Marco Rubio spoke of a “rogue tribunal” (ANSA). The Court’s president, Tomoko Akane, replied that the institution “firmly rejects” the sanctions, an “attack on the rule of law” (The Hill). The European Union called them “deplorable” and said it was ready to safeguard the Court’s work (ANSA, Euronews); Italy confirmed its confidence in the Court and its opposition to the sanctions (ANSA, Il Resto del Carlino, la Repubblica).
A joint statement by the foreign ministries of Canada, Denmark, Germany, France, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom reaffirmed support for the Court (GOV.UK). Pillay said she was shocked by the sanctions but declared that she believes “firmly” in the tribunal (Der Spiegel). The Court is based in The Hague and tries people accused of genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes, when it has jurisdiction; it is not a UN body and has no police force of its own. For this reason its strength depends on the states that carry out arrest warrants and, now, also on the banks that keep working with it. DailyDrop has not yet seen the text of the American order and cannot say which accounts, salaries or suppliers are affected: for now the details come from the news agencies. To watch: whether European governments will use instruments to protect the Court and whether Washington will extend the measures to those who cooperate with The Hague.