By Janet Ekstract, NEW YORK – On October 22, 2026, the International Criminal Court (ICC) was awarded a major human rights prize by the European Parliament to demonstrate support for the global body amidst the Trump administration’s efforts to block its work. In a formal statement, the parliament said the court is a “crucial actor in the global fight to end impunity,” awarding the ICC, the Sakharov Prize. European Parliament President Roberta Metsola said: “The European Union is built on respect for multilateralism and international institutions, and this prize recognizes the important work of the court in upholding in international law and justice.” The Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought is the European Union’s highest tribute for human rights work, awarded annually by the European Parliament since December 1988. The prize honors individuals, groups or organizations showing exceptional courage in defending: freedom of thought, freedom of expression, human rights and fundamental freedoms, minority rights, democracy and the rule of law and international law. The prize is named after Andrei Sakharov, a Soviet physicist, dissident and 1975 Nobel Peace Prize laureate.
The prize is significant for the ICC because it confirms European support for the court’s work. A prominent example is when the court stood by its decision in November 2024 to issue arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyau and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity, despite facing condemnation from the U.S. for its decision. In its formal statement on October 22, the European Parliament stated that European lawmakers in 2025 had “expressed their deep concern at the growing threats and the various waves of sanctions” imposed on the ICC, “notably by the U.S.A. The ICC, founded in 2002, based at The Hague in the Netherlands, investigates and prosecutes genocide, war crimes and other serious offenses. The ICC has called the prize “an important recognition of the role of international justice as a cornerstone of lasting peace.”
Though, the Biden administration had openly disagreed with the I.C.C. November 2024 decision, it is the Trump administration that has taken steps to block the court’s work, accusing the ICC of violating American sovereignty and of unfairly targeting U.S. allies, specifically Israel. After President Trump began his second term, he signed an executive order that directed agencies to draw up sanctions to impose on the ICC, stating that the court undermined the “national security and foreign policy work of the United States government and our allies, including Israel.” Earlier in October 2026, the Trump administration imposed far-reaching institutional sanctions, cutting off the ICC from U.S. financial services, banking, insurance and critical IT/cloud infrastructure (such as Amazon Web Services) effectively banning U.S. entities from conducting any business with the ICC. Previously, in February 2025, the administration passed Executive Order 14203 that declared a national emergency and authorized asset freezes, financial transaction blocks and U.S. entry bans for ICC officials, employees and individuals/organizations, assisting investigations into U.S. or allied personnel without consent. The ICC denounced the sanctions as an “assault on the rule of law and on the very foundations of the international legal order,” calling on its 125 member states to take action to defend it. In a statement, the ICC said: “The Court cannot stand alone. Its fate now rests also in the hands of the states that created it,” adding “This is not just about defending a single institution, but about safeguarding the international order grounded upon the rule of law. History will judge this moment.”
