Nobel committee chair calls for end to attacks on rule of law after Pillay peace prize
In short
Frydnes, chair of the Norwegian Nobel Committee, said on October 9 that the rule of law is under "enormous pressure" and that attacks and sanctions against individuals and organisations defending it "need to stop". Frydnes spoke in an exclusive interview with Kyodo News in Oslo about Pillay, the former UN High Commissioner for Human Rights who was announced as the Nobel Peace Prize recipient. Kyodo reported that the remarks appeared to have US pressure on the International Criminal Court (ICC) in mind.
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Frydnes, chair of the Norwegian Nobel Committee, said on October 9 that Pillay, the former UN High Commissioner for Human Rights whom the committee announced as the recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize, had contributed over many years to establishing an international order based on law. Frydnes made the remarks in an exclusive interview with Kyodo News in Oslo. [ 1 , 3 ]
In the interview, Frydnes said the rule of law is under "enormous pressure" and that attacks and sanctions against the individuals and organisations that defend it "need to stop". Japanese newspapers carrying the Kyodo report put that call in their headlines, describing it as a call to halt "attacks" on the rule of law. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
Pillay has served in posts including judge at the International Criminal Court (ICC) and is currently handling a case concerning genocide in Myanmar at the International Court of Justice (ICJ). According to Kyodo, the Trump administration is hostile to the ICC and designated the ICC itself for sanctions after the prize to Pillay was announced. Kyodo reported that Frydnes's remarks appeared to have US pressure on the ICC in mind; the reports do not quote Frydnes naming the United States. [ 1 , 3 ]
Frydnes cited as one of Pillay's main achievements the involvement in a ruling at the UN International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda that recognised sexual violence can also constitute genocide. Frydnes praised Pillay as having "remained a central figure in the development and expansion of the rule of law". [ 1 , 3 ]
The Sankei Shimbun and the Tokyo Shimbun ran the same Kyodo News report, and the Nishi-Nippon Shimbun carried it under the same headline. None of the reports gave further details of the US sanctions designation against the ICC. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
Why it matters
According to Kyodo, the Trump administration designated the ICC itself for sanctions after the prize to Pillay, a former ICC judge, was announced. The Nobel committee chair's call to stop attacks and sanctions puts the award in the context of that pressure on international courts.
Key facts
- Nobel Committee chair Frydnes gave an exclusive interview to Kyodo News in Oslo on October 9. [ 1 , 3 ]
- Frydnes said the rule of law is under "enormous pressure" and that attacks and sanctions against individuals and organisations defending it "need to stop". [ 1 , 3 ]
- Frydnes said Pillay, the former UN High Commissioner for Human Rights announced as the Nobel Peace Prize recipient, had contributed over many years to establishing an international order based on law. [ 1 , 3 ]
- Pillay has served as a judge at the ICC, among other posts, and is currently handling a case concerning genocide in Myanmar at the International Court of Justice (ICJ). [ 1 , 3 ]
- Kyodo reported that the Trump administration, which is hostile to the ICC, designated the ICC itself for sanctions after the prize to Pillay was announced. [ 1 , 3 ]
- Frydnes cited Pillay's involvement in a ruling at the UN International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda that recognised sexual violence can constitute genocide. [ 1 , 3 ]
Confirmed by several sources
- Frydnes called for attacks and sanctions against those defending the rule of law to stop, in an interview with Kyodo News in Oslo on October 9. [ 1 , 3 ]
- The Trump administration designated the ICC itself for sanctions after the Nobel Peace Prize to Pillay was announced. [ 1 , 3 ]
- Frydnes cited Pillay's role in a Rwanda tribunal ruling that recognised sexual violence can constitute genocide. [ 1 , 3 ]
Still unclear
- Whether Frydnes's remarks were directed at the United States. The link to US pressure on the ICC is Kyodo's interpretation; the reports do not quote Frydnes naming the United States.
- The date and scope of the US sanctions designation against the ICC. The reports say only that the designation came after the prize announcement and give no further details.
- How far the coverage is independent. Both full articles carry the same Kyodo News report, and the third outlet ran only the headline.