The European Parliament named the International Criminal Court (ICC) and its officials the 2026 Sakharov Prize laureates Thursday, Oct. 22, bringing a European honor to the court 13 days after U.S. sanctions took effect.
European Parliament President Roberta Metsola announced the selection in Strasbourg after the Parliament’s Conference of Presidents chose the laureates. Metsola linked the honor to the European Union’s support for multilateral institutions.
Established in 1988, the European Parliament’s annual Sakharov Prize recognizes people and organizations that advance human rights and democracy, and bears the name of Soviet dissident Andrei Sakharov, a Nobel Peace Prize laureate.
The ICC was chosen from three finalists: imprisoned Tanzanian lawyer Tundu Lissu and Iranian twin sisters Taraneh and Romina Rahimi. Metsola said the sisters faced prison terms over protests in Iran; one had been sentenced to death and the other given a term lasting decades.
Founded in The Hague in 2002, the ICC prosecutes genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes. The U.S. imposed sanctions on the court as an institution on Oct. 9. Washington said the measures responded to what it viewed as political bias by the court.
The ICC said the sanctions were intended to disrupt its judicial work and discourage people from working with it. ICC President Tomoko Akane said the court would continue operating independently and impartially. Former ICC judge Navi Pillay has also said the sanctions interfere with judges’ work, as EconoTimes previously reported.
The prize ceremony is scheduled for the Parliament’s December plenary session in Strasbourg.
