The award

The European Parliament on Thursday, 22 October 2026, gave its 2026 Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought to the International Criminal Court (ICC) and its officials, collectively. Roberta Metsola announced the decision in the plenary hall in Strasbourg, where MEPs who had risen from their seats applauded. The prize carries 50,000 euros. Politico had reported beforehand, citing two people with knowledge of the decision, that the court would be the winner. The ICC sits in The Hague and is the first permanent international criminal court, operating under the Rome Statute. It investigates and, where conditions are met, tries people accused of genocide, war crimes, crimes against humanity and the crime of aggression.

In her announcement, Metsola said:

“The European Union is built on respect for multilateralism and international institutions.”

Parliament, she said, recognised the court's work in supporting international law and delivering justice.

Sanctions and pressure on the court

Trump announced sanctions against the court on 9 October, a few hours after former ICC judge Navi Pillay received the Nobel Peace Prize earlier that month. Reports treated the timing as a sign of support for the court. The Trump administration has long been hostile to the court, and it has previously sanctioned prosecutors and judges, describing the institution as illegal. The pressure intensified after the court issued arrest warrants last year against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and a former Israeli defence minister.

Court President Tomoko Akane thanked Parliament and said:

“This award comes at a time when the Court and its officials face unprecedented challenges, mainly sanctions aimed at obstructing the Court's judicial mandate.”

Parliament's position

In its annual reports on 2025 on the EU's common foreign and security policy and on human rights and democracy worldwide, MEPs voiced deep concern about escalating threats and successive waves of sanctions, mainly from the United States, aimed at the court and its prosecutors, judges, staff and associates. They described these measures as serious attacks on the international justice system. MEPs have repeatedly urged the European Commission to activate the EU's so-called blocking statute, which would protect officials working at the court from extraterritorial attacks. The Socialists and Democrats group proposed the court for the prize, and its vice-president, Yannis Maniatis, said in early October that the group stood by the court and would protect its work. Chloé Ridel of the same group called the award a message of hope and resistance aimed at Donald Trump. The leader of the Social Democrats group, Irene García Pérez, called it a victory for international justice and a defeat for authoritarian leaders.

Other nominees and background

Some members of the far right and mainly the right had proposed Tanzanian opposition figure Tundu Lissu. Last year the prize went to journalists Andrzej Poczobut and Mzia Amaglobeli, who were jailed in Belarus and Georgia. Poczobut, a Polish-Belarusian, was released in April 2026 as part of an exchange. Previous laureates include Nelson Mandela, Alexei Navalny, journalists from Belarus and the people of Ukraine. The prize, named after the Soviet physicist and dissident Andrei Sakharov, has been awarded each year since 1988 to individuals and organisations defending human rights and fundamental freedoms. Shortlisted candidates are traditionally invited to the ceremony during the December plenary session in Strasbourg.