The European Parliament awarded the 2026 Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought to the International Criminal Court and its officials, European Parliament President Roberta Metsola announced in the hemicycle. Metsola said the award recognises the Court’s work in upholding international law and justice. The Parliament highlighted the ICC’s investigations, prosecutions, trials and the issuance or authorisation of arrest warrants for genocide, war crimes, crimes against humanity and the crime of aggression. MEPs flagged growing threats since 2025, including sanctions imposed by the United States on the ICC, its prosecutors, judges, staff and partners, and urged the European Commission to activate the EU’s blocking statute to protect ICC officials from extraterritorial attacks. The Parliament noted that all EU member states are parties to the Rome Statute and stressed continued EU financial support for the Court at a difficult time for international justice. The prize, named after Andrei Sakharov and established in 1988, was awarded collectively to the ICC and its officials as a show of institutional backing and a call for concrete protective measures.
