The Hague, Netherlands, Oct. 9 (Jiji Press)–International Criminal Court President Tomoko Akane on Friday welcomed the selection of former ICC judge Navanethem “Navi” Pillay, a South African jurist, as this year’s winner of the Nobel Peace Prize. This means that the extremely important role that international justice plays as the cornerstone of permanent peace has been recognized, Akane said in a statement. Noting that Pillay served as a judge at The Hague, the Netherlands-based ICC in 2003-2008 and as president and judge of the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda, Akane said that the recognition is particularly significant at a time when the international legal order and the rule of law face a serious challenge, she added. The Norwegian Nobel Committee said Friday that it has decided to award the Nobel Peace Prize for 2026 to Pillay, 85, for “her efforts to promote peace and international law.” The administration of U.S. President Donald Trump added Akane, a Japanese national, to its sanctions list in August over the ICC’s war crime investigations involving U.S. troops and its issuance of an arrest warrant for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The United States sanctioned the ICC as an institution Friday. Russia has recently requested Dutch authorities to hand over Akane, after the ICC issued an arrest warrant for Russian President Vladimir Putin in 2023 over Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine. END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]
