The International Criminal Court’s (ICC) efforts to bring perpetrators of the world’s gravest crimes to justice have earned it the European Parliament’s 2026 Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought. The award, announced on Thursday, 22 October, honours the Hague-based institution and its senior officials at a time of unprecedented pressure from the United States.
“The European Union is built on respect for multilateralism and international institutions,” European Parliament President Roberta Metsola said when announcing the award. She said it recognised the court’s contribution to upholding international law and justice.
The ICC investigates and prosecutes individuals accused of genocide, war crimes, crimes against humanity and the crime of aggression. Established under the Rome Statute, it is the world’s first permanent international criminal court and acts as a last resort when national authorities are unwilling or unable genuinely to prosecute such crimes.
Parliament also highlighted the court’s trials and its issuing or authorisation of arrest warrants. Its communiqué described international criminal justice as a means of holding perpetrators accountable and helping to prevent further atrocities.
Luxembourg’s defence of international law
Against the backdrop of the latest US sanctions, Foreign Minister Xavier Bettel called on 10 October for a united European response. “We must recognise that international law and multilateral institutions are the cornerstone for governing relations between countries,” he said in remarks reported by RTL. He stressed that smaller countries such as Luxembourg were especially dependent on respect for those rules.
Prime Minister Luc Frieden had also explicitly identified the ICC as one of the international institutions facing American pressure in a speech in Singapore on 8 September. “When others attack international law, we must defend it,” he declared in the government’s published English text, arguing that greater European sovereignty must remain compatible with the defence of human rights and democratic values.
Luxembourg reaffirmed that commitment at the EU Foreign Affairs Council on 12 October, when Bettel reiterated the importance of the ICC and international law, according to a government communiqué.
A court under pressure
Washington extended sanctions on 9 October from individual judges and prosecutors to the ICC as an institution. The court condemned the decision as an attempt to obstruct justice, disrupt its operations and intimidate those working for or cooperating with it.
Those pressures also help explain why the award recognises the court’s officials collectively. During appearances before European Parliament committees in 2025 and 2026, the ICC’s president and judges described the consequences of American sanctions for their professional and private lives.
Responding to the prize, ICC President Tomoko Akane said the recognition carried particular significance amid unprecedented challenges to the institution and its personnel, according to AFP. She said it reaffirmed the importance of independent courts and those working to uphold international law.
European leaders, including Frieden, called on Washington to reverse the sanctions at their summit on 15–16 October. They also asked the European Commission to help protect the ICC’s access to financial and other essential services and limit the consequences for European companies working with it.
The European Parliament has repeatedly called for activation of the EU’s blocking statute to protect the court against the extraterritorial effects of US sanctions. The Commission had not announced a decision to apply the legislation to these measures by 22 October, leaving the practical response unresolved.
Established in 1988 and named after Soviet physicist and dissident Andrei Sakharov, the prize honours contributions to human rights, democracy and the rule of law. The 2026 award ceremony will take place in Strasbourg in December.
