DOMINANT ANGLE
Dhaka is measuring the event by the yardstick of international law: a Nobel Prize awarded to a judge who is presiding over the Rohingya case, and an ICC sanctioned a few hours later by Washington.
Dominant angle identified — does not reflect unanimity of this country’s media
KEY POINTS
- 01
Navi Pillay, 85, is an ad hoc judge at the ICJ in the case of the alleged genocide of the Rohingya by Myanmar, with a decision expected in the coming months (The Daily Star).
- 02
The United States sanctioned the ICC on October 9, with an initial six-month grace period and exemptions for telecoms, software, and pensions (The Daily Star, TBS).
- 03
The ICC calls on its 125 member states to defend it: "The Court cannot stand alone" (The Daily Star).
ANALYSIS
Dacca, October 10, 2026. The Nobel Peace Prize awarded on Friday, October 9, to South African jurist Navi Pillay is presented by The Daily Star as that of a "champion of human rights" who has dealt with genocide allegations "in Gaza, Rwanda, and Myanmar". The newspaper recalls that at 85 years old, she currently sits as an ad hoc judge at the International Court of Justice, which is seized with the question of whether the repression of the Rohingya by Myanmar violates the 1948 Convention on Genocide, with a decision expected in the coming months. For a country that hosts hundreds of thousands of Rohingya refugees, this detail gives the prize a direct resonance.
The portrait published by the daily retraces a career: daughter of a bus driver from Durban, from a Tamil-origin family, the first non-white woman to open a law firm in the city, defender of opponents to apartheid, then judge at the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda, at the ICC, and UN High Commissioner for Human Rights. The chairman of the Nobel Committee, Jørgen Watne Frydnes, hailed a laureate who is "determinant" for the prosecution of war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide.
The rest occupies the bulk of the coverage. A few hours after the announcement, the Trump administration sanctioned the ICC itself, which TBS News describes as a "collision course of diplomatic trajectory" with European allies. Marco Rubio spoke of a "rogue court" whose resources should be cut off. The ICC denounces an "attack on the rule of law" and calls on its 125 member states to defend it: "The Court cannot remain alone." Its deputy prosecutor, Nazhat Shameem Khan, asserts that her work will not stop. The sanctions provide for an initial six-month grace period and exemptions, including for telecommunications and pensions.
The political reactions are reported without editorial commentary. Israel judged that the prize legitimized "anti-Israeli hatred" and Benjamin Netanyahu accused the committee of having "lost its moral compass". Donald Trump described the choice as "shameful" and a "stain" for Norway. Navi Pillay joked: "If you applaud a little more, I might share this prize with Trump." The Daily Star notes that condemnation of the sanctions comes "from all horizons, except Israel". The award ceremony is scheduled for December 10 in Oslo.
SOURCES (2)
- The Daily StarMEDIUM
- TBS NewsMEDIUM
