▲ Navi Pillay
Navi Pillay, the former UN High Commissioner for Human Rights and this year's Nobel Peace Prize laureate, has condemned the United States for sanctioning the International Criminal Court (ICC), the BBC reported on the 10th (local time).
In a virtual address at an event at the Nobel Peace Center in Oslo that day, Pillay said, "There has been tremendous tension and anxiety regarding the survival of international tribunals, particularly the ICC," adding, "It is unprecedented and unacceptable for a single country (the US) to announce sanctions simply because of judicial orders issued by judges."
Since taking office in January of last year, the Donald Trump administration has argued for the dismantling of the ICC on the grounds that it threatens U.S. sovereignty, previously imposing sanctions on 17 ICC judges and officials.
Coincidentally, additional sanctions were imposed on the entire ICC shortly after Pillay, a former ICC judge, was announced as the Nobel Peace Prize laureate on the 9th.
Announcing the sanctions on the 9th, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio claimed that the measures were to defend U.S. sovereignty and that the ICC was attempting to prosecute Americans.
The U.S. government has strongly pushed back against the ICC investigating actions taken by the U.S. military in Afghanistan and issuing an arrest warrant for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
While the latest sanctions come with a six-month grace period, they could potentially restrict member states from paying operating contributions.
Pillay, a South African jurist who has served as a human rights lawyer, judge, and UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, was named this year's Nobel Peace Prize laureate in recognition of her efforts to promote peace and international law.
President Trump criticized her award, calling it "shameful and a disgrace."
(Photo: AP, Yonhap News)
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