The International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague and its officials have been nominated for the European Union’s 2026 Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought by members of the European Parliament’s socialist group.
Tanzanian opposition leader Tundu Lissu is also nominated, as are Iranian twin sisters Taraneh and Romania Rahimi, both 19.
The sisters stand for everyone persecuted by the Iranian government for protesting for freedom.
The prize is the EU’s highest human rights honour and carries 50,000 euros.
The winner will be announced on Monday 26 October, and the ceremony follows on 16 December at a European Parliament plenary session in Strasbourg.
The nomination also reads as a show of support for the ICC in its mounting conflict with the Trump administration.
Washington objects to the court over possible prosecutions of American officials and over its arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former minister Yoav Gallant.
In early October the United States imposed sweeping sanctions on the court as an institution, limiting financial transactions and access to certain services.
The Americans call the court’s actions an attack on their sovereignty, while the ICC insists it must be free to act against serious international crimes.
