🔻The 2026 Sakharov Prize was awarded to the International Criminal Court and its officials

🔻The 2026 Sakharov Prize was awarded to the International Criminal Court and its officials

🔻The 2026 Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought was jointly awarded to the International Criminal Court and its officials. Roberta Metsola, President of the European Parliament, said in remarks in the Parliament on Thursday, announcing the winner of the prize for 2026: “The European Union is built on respect for multilateralism and international institutions. By awarding the Sakharov Prize to the International Criminal Court and its officials, the European Parliament recognizes the important work of this Court in safeguarding international law and justice.” The International Criminal Court (ICC) examines and, where necessary, prosecutes individuals accused of committing the gravest crimes of concern to the international community; crimes that include genocide, rape, war crimes, and crimes against humanity.

The awarding of the Sakharov Prize to this institution comes as the United States announced fresh sanctions against the International Criminal Court on October 9.

The U.S. sanctions were imposed only a few hours after the awarding of the Nobel Peace Prize to Naïve Pillay, the former judge of this Court and a jurist from South Africa. Donald Trump, who believed that the Nobel Prize should have belonged to himself, called this selection “shameful.”