The prize comes lower than two weeks after US President Donald Trump introduced sanctions in opposition to the court docket.
Printed On 22 Oct 2026
The European Union has awarded the Worldwide Legal Courtroom (ICC) its prime human rights award, two weeks after US President Donald Trump vowed to dismantle the court docket by new sanctions.
Thursday’s Sakharov Prize is the second worldwide recognition for the warfare crimes tribunal this month, with former ICC Choose Navi Pillay awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for her work to advertise peace and worldwide regulation.
Really useful Tales
checklist of 4 objectsfinish of checklist
“The European Union is constructed on respect for multilateralism and worldwide establishments, and this prize recognises the vital work of the court docket in upholding worldwide regulation and justice,” mentioned European Parliament President Roberta Metsola in saying the award.
The ICC thanked the European Parliament for the honour “at a time when the Courtroom and its officers face unprecedented challenges”.
“In opposition to this backdrop, the Sakharov Prize carries specific significance, reaffirming the significance of unbiased judicial establishments and of those that work to uphold worldwide regulation,” ICC President Tomoko Akane mentioned.
The Hague-based ICC has lengthy been a goal of Trump, whose marketing campaign in opposition to it has escalated for the reason that court docket introduced in 2024 arrest warrants in opposition to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former Defence Minister Yoav Gallant.
‘Brick by brick’
The Trump administration has promised to dismantle the court docket “brick by brick”, lately saying sanctions geared toward crippling its day-to-day operations. The ICC tries people for warfare crimes, crimes in opposition to humanity and genocide.
“We’ll ban transactions with this rogue court docket, slicing off their sources and crippling their means to function in opposition to us as a result of our message is obvious: the USA and the American individuals are not topic to the jurisdiction of this pretend ICC,” US Secretary of State Marco Rubio mentioned in a video posted on social media when the sanctions had been introduced.
Washington has additionally sanctioned ICC judges and prosecutors, in addition to a UN particular rapporteur specializing in the occupied Palestinian territories and Palestinian rights teams which have supplied proof to the court docket.
EU backs ICC
The EU has already thrown its assist behind the ICC within the face of the US sanctions, that are as a consequence of come into pressure in six months, and has mentioned it’s “able to take any mandatory measures” to verify the court docket can proceed functioning.
“The Worldwide Legal Courtroom should be free to pursue its mission, independently, and with out stress or intimidation,” EU chief Ursula von der Leyen posted on-line after the prize was introduced.
Brussels is hoping to make use of the delay earlier than the sanctions are utilized to attempt to speak the US down, however in accordance with EU officers can be eyeing implementing a “blocking statute” to defend the ICC from Washington.
