The European Parliament has awarded the International Criminal Court and its officials the 2026 Andrei Sakharov Prize ‘For Freedom of Thought’ – the EU’s highest honour in the field of human rights. This was announced in a statement by the European Parliament published on 22 October.
Announcing the winner, European Parliament President Roberta Metsola said: “The European Union is founded on respect for multilateral cooperation and international institutions. By awarding 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.”
This is the second time this month that the court, based in The Hague (the Netherlands) and which investigates war crimes, has received international recognition: former ICC judge Navi Pillay was recently awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.
The Sakharov Prize was awarded less than two weeks after the administration of US President Donald Trump announced the imposition of sanctions against the court.
The Trump administration has long criticised the ICC, which was established in 2002, and has previously imposed sanctions on its prosecutors and judges.
The ICC investigates war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide. In November 2024, the court issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defence Minister Yoav Galant. They are accused of war crimes and crimes against humanity in the Gaza Strip. Israel rejects the charges and does not recognise the court’s jurisdiction.
Washington has sharply criticised the ICC for the arrest warrants against Israeli officials, as well as for an earlier investigation into the actions of US military personnel in Afghanistan, which the court subsequently closed.
The US is not a member of the ICC, which comprises 125 states. These include all EU countries and all NATO members, except the US and Turkey.
In 2023, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Russian President Vladimir Putin and the Children’s Rights Commissioner, Maria Lvova-Belova. They were accused of a war crime — the unlawful transfer and deportation of children from Russian-occupied territories in Ukraine to the Russian Federation.
The Andrei Sakharov Prize ‘For Freedom of Thought’ is named after the Soviet physicist and political dissident. It was established in 1988. Every year, the European Parliament presents the award to individuals or organisations for their work in one of the following areas: the defence of human rights and fundamental freedoms, including freedom of expression; the defence of minority rights; respect for international law; the promotion of democracy; and the defence of the rule of law.
The award ceremony for the 2026 Sakharov Prize will take place in December in Strasbourg, during a plenary session of the European Parliament.
Last year, the European Parliament awarded the Andrei Sakharov Prize to the Belarusian journalist Andrei Pochobut and the Georgian journalist Mzia Amaglobeli.