European Parliament Awards Sakharov Prize to ICC in Rebuke of US Sanctions

The European Parliament announced on 22 October 2026 that the International Criminal Court (ICC) would receive the 2026 Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought, the EU legislature's highest human-rights honour, which carries a €50,000 award. The announcement was made by European Parliament President Roberta Metsola. The decision came just two weeks after the Trump administration imposed sweeping sanctions on the ICC on 9 October, targeting the court's staff and operations following its arrest warrant for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and an ongoing investigation into the conduct of US troops in Afghanistan. The Sakharov Prize was established in 1988 and has previously been awarded to figures such as Nelson Mandela and Aung San Suu Kyi. This year's other finalists were Tanzanian opposition leader Tundu Lissu and Iranian sisters Taraneh and Romina Rahimi. Rights groups including Human Rights Watch welcomed the decision, saying it showed the international community's continued support for independent criminal justice. The formal award ceremony is scheduled for 16 December in Strasbourg. The prize deepens an emerging transatlantic rift over the legitimacy of international legal institutions.