International Criminal Court wins EU's 2026 Sakharov human rights prize

BRUSSELS - The International Criminal Court and its officials won the EU's 2026 Sakharov human rights prize, European Parliament President Roberta Metsola said on Thursday, less than two weeks after former ICC Judge Navi Pillay was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.

"The EU is built on respect for multilateralism and international institutions," Metsola said, as she announced the award to a standing ovation in the EU Parliament in Strasbourg.

"And this prize recognises the important work of the court in upholding international law and justice."

The prize is the second international recognition for the war crimes tribunal this month, and comes less than two weeks after US President Donald Trump announced sanctions against the court.

Pillay's Nobel award was widely seen as a show of support for the embattled court.

The Hague-based ICC has long been a target of Trump, whose campaign against it has escalated since the court announced in 2024 arrest warrants against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former defence minister.

ICC President Tomoko Akane said the "unprecedented challenges" the court faces made the prize all the more significant.

"It underscores the importance of continued international cooperation and support to enable the court to carry out its mandate independently and impartially, in the service of justice and the victims of the gravest crimes," the Japanese judge said.

"There is no peace without justice and no security without law."

The EU prize, named after the late Soviet dissident Andrei Sakharov, has been awarded annually since 1988 to individuals and organizations defending human rights and freedoms.

-Bart Meijer; Editing by Xevi Fontdegloria/Reuters