European Parliament Gives 2026 Sakharov Prize to International Criminal Court

The European Parliament has awarded its 2026 Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought to the International Criminal Court (ICC) and its officials. The court issued a statement thanking the Parliament. The ICC is an international judicial body, and the prize is given for work on human rights.

The Sakharov Prize is the European Union's highest tribute to human rights work, according to the Parliament's own description. It was first awarded in 1988, to Nelson Mandela and Anatoli Marchenko. The prize carries a endowment of EUR 50,000 and is presented at a formal plenary sitting, the full-chamber session of the Parliament, in Strasbourg towards the end of each year.

Candidates can be put forward by a political group in the Parliament or by an individual member of the European Parliament (MEP) with the backing of at least 40 MEPs. Nominees are presented at a joint meeting of three bodies: the Foreign Affairs Committee, the Development Committee and the Human Rights Subcommittee. Their members vote on a shortlist of three candidates. The final winner is chosen by the Conference of Presidents, which is led by the Parliament's president and includes the leaders of all political groups.

The three finalists for 2026 were the ICC and its officials, Tundu Lissu of Tanzania, and Taraneh and Romina Rahimi of Iran, the Parliament said in a public post on 20 October. The ICC has been in the spotlight in recent weeks for a separate reason. Reuters reported that the United States has imposed sanctions on the court, meaning official restrictions that limit dealings with the target.

Previous laureates include Nelson Mandela, Malala Yousafzai, Denis Mukwege and Nadia Murad, all of whom went on to win the Nobel Peace Prize.