Politics 5 min read By Alice Ashford
ICC Wins EU Sakharov Prize Days After US Sanctions
The International Criminal Court has been awarded the European Union's Sakharov Prize for human rights, just days after the Trump administration imposed sweeping sanctions on the tribunal. EU leaders have urged Washington to reverse the measures and are considering ways to shield the court and its staff.
The International Criminal Court has been awarded the European Union's top human rights honour, the Sakharov Prize, just days after the Trump administration announced sweeping sanctions against the tribunal. The award, announced by European Parliament President Roberta Metsola in Strasbourg, was met with a standing ovation from lawmakers.
The timing underscores the deepening rift between Brussels and Washington over the court, which is based in The Hague and has faced mounting pressure from the United States over its investigations into American citizens and allies, including Israel. Metsola said the prize recognised the court's role in upholding international law. «The European Union is built on respect for multilateralism and international institutions, and this prize recognizes the important work of the court in upholding international law and justice,» she said.
ICC President Tomoko Akane welcomed the award, saying it «comes at a time when the court and its officials face unprecedented challenges.» She added that the prize reaffirmed «the importance of independent judicial institutions and of those who work to uphold international law.»
The sanctions, announced by the Trump administration, cut the court off from US-based financial services and technology companies and bar it from using the US dollar. They also set a six-month timeline for US companies and individuals with business dealings with the court to wind those operations down. The measures form part of a broader campaign to dismantle the tribunal over its investigations into the United States and its allies.
EU leaders responded at their summit last week by expressing deep regret over the sanctions and urging Washington to reverse them. In a statement, the 27-nation bloc noted that the six-month delay in the full impact of the measures «creates space for diplomacy,» and expressed hope that they could ultimately be reversed. Should diplomacy fail, however, leaders insisted on «the EU's readiness to take all necessary measures.»
They tasked the European Commission with taking «all appropriate initiatives» to help protect the ICC and mitigate the impact of the sanctions, «specifically towards EU companies so that they can continue providing services to the Court.» One possible retaliatory measure under consideration is the EU's «blocking statute,» which could be used to shield European court staff and possibly the court itself by preventing European companies from complying with the US measures.
The ICC opened in 2002 as a court of last resort to prosecute senior leaders deemed responsible for crimes that, according to its founding treaty, «deeply shock the conscience of humanity.» It has jurisdiction over war crimes, crimes against humanity, genocide and the crime of aggression.
The court and its officials were nominated for the Sakharov Prize by the Socialists and Democrats group in the European Parliament, which said it was «proud to have put forward their candidacy at a time when international justice is under attack.» The winner is chosen by the parliament's president and senior lawmakers from among candidates put forward by its political groups. The assembly describes the award as «the highest tribute paid by the European Union to human rights work.»
The prize, named after Soviet dissident and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Andrei Sakharov, was created in 1988 to honour individuals or groups defending human rights and basic freedoms. Imprisoned Tanzanian opposition leader Tundu Lissu and Iranian twins Taraneh and Romina Rahimi, held for taking part in demonstrations against the Iranian government, were the other candidates on this year's shortlist. Last year's prize went to journalists Andrzej Poczobut and Mzia Amaghlobeli, imprisoned in Belarus and Georgia respectively.
Several past laureates, including Nelson Mandela, Malala Yousafzai, Denis Mukwege and Nadia Murad, went on to win the Nobel Peace Prize. Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado, who won the Nobel Peace Prize last year, received the Sakharov Prize in 2024.
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