International Criminal Court wins EU's Sakharov Prize 2026, two weeks after Trump's sanctions

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 22 October to a standing ovation, Business Recorder reported from Reuters. Dawn also carried the report.

It is the European Parliament's top human rights award, named after the Soviet dissident Andrei Sakharov and given every year since 1988 to people and organisations that defend human rights and freedoms.

What they said

Metsola said: "The EU is built on respect for multilateralism and international institutions," describing the prize as recognition of the court's work upholding international law and justice.

ICC President Tomoko Akane said the court's "unprecedented challenges" made the prize more significant and that the court needs continued international cooperation to work independently and impartially. "There is no peace without justice and no security without law," she said.

Why it is a message to Washington

The award comes less than two weeks after US President Donald Trump announced sanctions on the court (our report), and days after former ICC judge Navi Pillay won the 2026 Nobel Peace Prize, a choice widely seen as support for the court.

Trump's campaign against the Hague-based court has escalated since 2024, when it issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former defence minister over the war in Gaza.

Two prizes in one month

The ICC, set up under the Rome Statute and based in The Hague, tries individuals for genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes and aggression. More world news followed in Pakistan is on our world desk.