Kathrine Frich
Trump’s administrations has put sanctions on the ICC.
Winning a major human rights prize is usually a quiet moment for polite applause.
Behind closed doors in Europe, though, handing out a trophy can also work as a pointed political message.
And this year’s winner is caught right in the middle of a transatlantic clash.
Backing the court
The European Parliament has awarded its top human rights honor, the Sakharov Prize, to the International Criminal Court, according to WP News.
Parliamentary group leaders and President Roberta Metsola picked the Hague-based tribunal on Thursday during a session in Strasbourg. First handed out in 1988 and named after Soviet dissident Andrei Sakharov, the prize will be presented on December 16, 2026.
The Social Democrats, the parliament’s second-largest bloc, nominated the court to back its judges against heavy pressure from the United States. Washington has slapped sanctions on the tribunal’s staff, claiming the body is politicized and unfairly targets American and Israeli citizens for war crimes.
Court President Tomoko Akane welcomed the European honor in a statement cited by WP News, noting that these US penalties aim to block the court from prosecuting the world’s worst crimes.
“The European Union is founded on respect for multilateralism and international institutions, and this award recognises the important work of the courts in upholding international law and the administration of justice,” Metsola said while announcing the decision, as quoted by WP News.
Echoes of Moscow
Polish lawmaker Michał Wawrykiewicz of the Civic Coalition told reporters he strongly backed the choice because the court holds war criminals to account.
“This Tribunal is an extremely important element of the international legal order and criminal responsibility. In this case, we are primarily talking about the responsibility of Russian criminals for the genocide committed during the war in Ukraine,” he said, according to WP News.
He also warned that America’s crackdown mirrors how Russia lashed out after the court issued an arrest warrant for Vladimir Putin. “Back then, these sanctions were issued from Moscow, from the Kremlin. Now, however, the sanctions against the ICC itself, its judges, and its prosecutors, are being issued from Washington,” Wawrykiewicz noted.
Two other finalists missed out in the Thursday vote after last year’s 2025 prize went to jailed journalists Andrzej Poczobut of Belarus and Mzia Amaglobeli of Georgia.
The Christian Democratic European People’s Party nominated jailed Tanzanian opposition lawyer Tundu Lissu, while the far-right Patriots for Europe put forward Iranian sisters Taraneh and Romina Rahimi.
“Tundu Lissu, who is currently in prison, campaigned for free and fair elections in Tanzania. Taraneh and Romina should have their whole lives ahead of them, yet one of them faces the death penalty and the other decades in prison for participating in the protests,” Metsola said, as reported by WP News.
