# United States Sanctions the International Criminal Court Itself Hours After Former Judge Navi Pillay Wins the Nobel Peace Prize

The sanctions extend from individual judges and prosecutors to the court as a whole, which means European banks that serve it now carry US sanctions risk.

- Published: 2026-10-10T05:16:36.849Z
- Canonical: https://polylog.news/2026-10-10/united-states-sanctions-the-international-criminal-court-its
- Publisher: Polylog (Global desk)
- Section: geopolitics
- Sources: [MercoPress](https://en.mercopress.com/2026/10/09/us-sanctions-the-international-criminal-court-hours-after-a-former-judge-wins-the-nobel-peace-prize?utm_source=feed&utm_medium=rss&utm_content=main&utm_campaign=rss), [Africanews](http://www.africanews.com/2026/10/09/navi-pillay-wins-nobel-peace-prize-as-us-sanctions-threaten-international-justice/), [Ynet (Hebrew)](https://www.ynet.co.il/news/article/s1qswndofe)

The Trump administration on Friday imposed sanctions on the International Criminal Court (ICC) as an institution, [MercoPress reported](https://en.mercopress.com/2026/10/09/us-sanctions-the-international-criminal-court-hours-after-a-former-judge-wins-the-nobel-peace-prize?utm_source=feed&utm_medium=rss&utm_content=main&utm_campaign=rss). The decision came hours after the Norwegian Nobel Committee gave the Peace Prize to South African jurist Navi Pillay, a former judge of the court. Washington had already sanctioned individual officials. Those officials include the court's president, Tomoko Akane, and [many of its judges and prosecutors](https://abc57.com/news/us-sanctions-icc-president-and-senior-prosecutor-amid-campaign-to-dismantle-the-international-court), as part of what Secretary of State Marco Rubio has called a [government-wide campaign](https://news.liga.net/en/world/news/rubio-promises-to-dismantle-the-international-criminal-court-brick-by-brick) to dismantle the court.

[Africanews](http://www.africanews.com/2026/10/09/navi-pillay-wins-nobel-peace-prize-as-us-sanctions-threaten-international-justice/) described Pillay's career from defending Nelson Mandela to leading a United Nations (UN) inquiry panel that found Israel had committed genocide in Gaza. Israel rejects that finding. African outlets presented the award as recognition for the Global South in international law.

President Donald Trump criticized the choice in a long post on Truth Social, [Ynet reported](https://www.ynet.co.il/news/article/s1qswndofe). In Ynet's Hebrew account, Trump wrote that "no one knows anything about her except her hatred of Israel." He added: "I don't know what this woman did. I settled conflicts in eight wars. I deserve to get eight Nobel prizes and not just one."

Washington's position is that the court has no jurisdiction over Americans or Israelis, neither of which is a member state. The court's supporters say the sanctions are an attempt to block investigations. The financial effect does not depend on which side is right. A designation of the court itself exposes any bank, insurer or payment provider that handles its salaries, rent or contracts to US penalties.

## What this means

The sanctions work through the court's banks. The ICC is based in The Hague and pays its staff through European banks that also need access to US dollar clearing. Those banks must now choose between the ICC and the US market, and most will choose the US market unless the European Union (EU) protects them. The EU has a blocking statute meant to shield European firms from extraterritorial US sanctions, but it has rarely been enforced against US pressure, so banks are likely to reduce their exposure on their own. The broader point is that Washington has shown it will place sanctions on an institution that most of its allies fund and support. For governments and investors in the Global South, that is a concrete reason to want payment and custody arrangements outside US jurisdiction. The desk's read is that within weeks at least one European bank will restrict services to the court, and that the dispute will push the EU to test its euro payment alternatives. The read is wrong if the EU uses the blocking statute and European banks keep serving the court without US penalties.

## What to watch

- Whether the ICC's Dutch banks publicly keep or drop its accounts. That shows whether US secondary sanctions risk outweighs EU law in practice.
- Whether the European Commission activates the blocking statute for the ICC. Activation would mean the EU directly challenging US sanctions on behalf of an institution.
- Statements from South Africa and other ICC members in the Global South. Coordinated responses would turn the dispute into a wider argument over US financial power.