The International Criminal Court and its officials have won the European Union's 2026 Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought, European Parliament President Roberta Metsola announced in Strasbourg on Thursday, drawing a standing ovation in the chamber, Reuters reported.

Source: Reuters

"The European Union is built on respect for multilateralism and international institutions. With the award of the Sakharov prize to the International Criminal Court and its officials, the European Parliament recognises the Court's important work in upholding international law and justice," Metsola said, according to the European Parliament's official announcement.

Source: European Parliament

Second honour in a month, under US sanctions

The prize is the second international recognition for the Hague-based war crimes tribunal this month. It comes less than two weeks after former ICC judge Navi Pillay was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, and after US President Donald Trump announced sanctions against the court, Reuters said. Brussels Signal reported that Washington announced sanctions against the institution itself on October 9, with Secretary of State Marco Rubio saying transactions with the court would be banned after a six-month grace period.

Source: Brussels Signal

The European Parliament noted that MEPs have expressed deep concern at the waves of sanctions imposed since 2025 on the ICC and on its prosecutors, judges, staff and partners, calling them serious attacks on the international justice system. The Hague court has been a target of the Trump administration since it announced arrest warrants in 2024 against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former defence minister, Reuters reported.

ICC President Tomoko Akane said the "unprecedented challenges" the court faces made the prize all the more significant. "It underscores the importance of continued international cooperation and support to enable the court to carry out its mandate independently and impartially, in the service of justice and the victims of the gravest crimes," she said. "There is no peace without justice and no security without law."

The decision was taken by the Conference of Presidents, which brings together Metsola and the leaders of Parliament's political groups. The ICC nomination, initiated by the Socialists and Democrats and supported by Renew Europe, the Greens and The Left, prevailed over the two other finalists — Tanzanian opposition leader Tundu Lissu and Iranian twin sisters Taraneh and Romina Rahimi — Brussels Signal reported. The 2025 prize went to Belarusian journalist Andrzej Poczobut and Georgian journalist Mzia Amaglobeli.

The ICC, governed by the Rome Statute, is the world's first permanent international criminal court. It investigates and, where warranted, tries individuals charged with genocide, war crimes, crimes against humanity and the crime of aggression, acting as a court of last resort alongside national courts, the European Parliament said.