---
title: "European Parliament Awards Sakharov Prize to ICC After U.S. Sanctions"
description: "The court won after a far-right group leader abstained, breaking a deadlock that would have forced a runoff with Tanzania’s Tundu Lissu."
author: "rews desk"
published: 2026-10-22T22:25:14Z
modified: 2026-10-23T02:46:21Z
url: https://rews.cc/a/european-parliament-awards-sakharov-prize-to-icc-after-u-s-s-72032e
language: en
tags: ["icc", "trump", "sanctions", "eu", "netanyahu", "world"]
publisher: "Rews (https://rews.cc)"
---

# European Parliament Awards Sakharov Prize to ICC After U.S. Sanctions

*The court won after a far-right group leader abstained, breaking a deadlock that would have forced a runoff with Tanzania’s Tundu Lissu.*

By rews desk · October 22, 2026 · https://rews.cc/a/european-parliament-awards-sakharov-prize-to-icc-after-u-s-s-72032e

## In brief

- The European Parliament awarded its Sakharov Prize to the International Criminal Court and its officials on Oct. 22
- The award came less than two weeks after the U.S. announced sanctions on the whole court on Oct. 9
- The court won after Patriots for Europe co-leader Kinga Gál abstained, avoiding a runoff with Tundu Lissu
- The EU has not acted on lawmakers’ calls to use its Blocking Statute to shield the court
- The prize, worth 50,000 euros, will be presented in Strasbourg on Dec. 16

The European Parliament on Thursday gave its Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought to the International Criminal Court, less than two weeks after the Trump administration placed sanctions on the court as a whole.

Roberta Metsola, the president of the Parliament, announced the award in Strasbourg, and lawmakers from the center-right European People’s Party, the Socialists and Democrats, Renew Europe and the Greens stood when the winner was named, [Reuters reported](https://www.usnews.com/news/world/articles/2026-10-22/international-criminal-court-wins-eus-2026-sakharov-prize). The prize, which carries 50,000 euros, goes to the court and its officials. “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,” Ms. Metsola said, according to [the Parliament’s announcement](https://the-president.europarl.europa.eu/home/ep-newsroom/pagecontent/actualites/the-2026-sakharov-prize-has-been-awarded-to-the-intlcrimcourt-and-its-officials.html).

Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced the sanctions on Oct. 9, going beyond earlier measures aimed at individual judges and prosecutors. “We will ban transactions with this rogue court, cutting off their resources and crippling their ability to operate against us,” Mr. Rubio said, [Courthouse News Service reported](https://www.courthousenews.com/trump-escalates-war-on-international-criminal-court-with-deep-sanctions/). The Treasury Department issued exemptions that let some payments and software services continue. Under the 2025 executive order behind the measures, the United States has already sanctioned nine of the court’s 18 judges, three of its prosecutors and its president.

The administration’s complaints have centered on the court’s arrest warrant for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel and its investigation into the conduct of U.S. troops in Afghanistan, as [Euronews reported](https://euronews.com/2026/10/22/eu-parliament-awards-sakharov-prize-to-icc-in-rebuke-of-us-sanctions). The court has [until April before the sanctions take full effect](https://rews.cc/a/us-sanctions-the-international-criminal-court-as-an-institut-7c5c01).

![Cream-colored balance scales on a blue background connect to an unplugged electrical cord beside a wall socket.](https://rews.cc/img/6c3467868c442f55e890a0c2fcb1866896c98270.webp)

“This is a message of hope and resistance sent to Donald Trump. We will not abandon the rule of law and international justice. We will stand with the ICC for as long as it takes,” said Chloé Ridel, a French member of the Parliament who nominated the court.

The win was not a sure thing. The Parliament’s political group leaders had a shortlist of three: the court, the Tanzanian opposition leader Tundu Lissu and the Iranian sisters Taraneh and Romina Rahimi, who were nominated on behalf of people persecuted by Iran’s authorities. Some insiders had expected Mr. Lissu to win, Euronews reported.

The European People’s Party and the European Conservatives and Reformists backed Mr. Lissu. The Socialists and Democrats, who put the court forward, had Renew Europe, the Greens/EFA and The Left behind them. Kinga Gál, a co-leader of the far-right Patriots for Europe, kept pushing for the Rahimi sisters.

Neither side had a majority. Under the Parliament’s rules, that would have meant a runoff between Mr. Lissu and the court. Ms. Gál abstained instead, which let the court’s backers win with a relative majority, according to people at the meeting who spoke to Euronews.

Ms. Metsola also paid tribute to the two runners-up. Mr. Lissu, who is in prison, has campaigned for free and fair elections in Tanzania. One of the Rahimi sisters faces a death sentence and the other decades in prison for protesting.

![A large yellow circle tops three black pillar-like shapes above three human silhouettes against a cream rectangle on a blue background.](https://rews.cc/img/fcfe28823d9055c994de191b3c1c50e519f84ed5.webp)

In [a statement](https://www.icc-cpi.int/news/international-criminal-court-statement-following-award-2026-sakharov-prize-freedom-thought), the court said the award came as it and its officials face unprecedented challenges, including sanctions meant to disrupt its judicial work. Judge Tomoko Akane, the court’s president, said the prize reaffirmed the importance of independent judicial institutions and of the people who uphold international law.

It is the second honor this month tied to the court. Navi Pillay, a former judge at the court, won the Nobel Peace Prize for her work promoting peace and international law, [Al Jazeera reported](https://aljazeera.com/news/2026/10/22/us-sanctioned-icc-wins-sakharov-prize-eus-top-human-rights-award), citing AFP and Reuters.

The European Union itself has done little so far. Kaja Kallas, the bloc’s foreign policy chief, called the threat of sanctions “not acceptable” on Oct. 9, but the EU has taken no concrete action. Last week, lawmakers from across the Parliament asked Ursula von der Leyen, the president of the European Commission, to use “all instruments at our disposal” to protect the court, above all the Blocking Statute, which shields European companies and people from the effects of some foreign sanctions.

After Thursday’s vote, the Socialists and Democrats renewed that demand. Iratxe García Pérez, the group’s president, called the prize “a victory for international justice, a defeat for autocrats, and a powerful reminder that accountability matters,” according to [EU Reporter](https://www.eureporter.co/sakharov-prize/2026/10/22/european-parliament-awards-sakharov-prize-to-international-criminal-court-amid-us-sanctions/).

The prize will be presented in Strasbourg on Dec. 16.

## Sources

- [US-sanctioned ICC wins EU's Sakharov human rights prize](https://aljazeera.com/news/2026/10/22/us-sanctioned-icc-wins-sakharov-prize-eus-top-human-rights-award) — aljazeera.com
- [EU Parliament awards Sakharov Prize to ICC in rebuke of US sanctions](https://euronews.com/2026/10/22/eu-parliament-awards-sakharov-prize-to-icc-in-rebuke-of-us-sanctions) — euronews.com