The International Criminal Court (ICC) has been awarded a top prize by the European Parliament – two weeks after the US announced new sanctions against the body and three months after its chief prosecutor was ousted amid sexual harassment allegations.
The £40,000 (50,000 euro) Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought honours people and bodies who have defended human rights. Previous winners include Nelson Mandela and the late Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny.
The successful nomination was put forward by left wing and socialist parties within the European Parliament.
In February 2025 the Trump administration launched sanctions against the ICC after it issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defence Minister Yoav Gallant on the charge of “crimes against humanity” in November 2024.
The court also issued an arrest warrant for Hamas military commander Mohammed Deif on the same charges.
The White House accused the ICC of creating a “shameful moral equivalency” between Hamas and Israel.
US President Donald Trump accused it of “illegitimate and baseless actions targeting America and our close ally Israel”.
Former US President Joe Biden also criticised the ICC's warrant for Netanyahu, saying it was “outrageous”.
The ICC responded by stating it “stands firmly” with those within the court who made the decision, and said the sanctions seek to harm its “independent and impartial work”.
The chief prosecutor of the ICC at the time was Karim Khan, who was first accused of sexual misconduct in May 2024.
He denied the accusations, but an investigation was launched which led to him taking leave of absence in May the following year.
In 2026, the governing body at the ICC found that he had engaged in unwanted sexual activity with a junior lawyer and recommended his removal from his post.
His removal was voted in, and he left in July, with deputy prosecutors Nazhat Shameen Khan and Mame Mandiaye Niang now sharing the post.
Netanyahu accused Khan at the time of using the warrants to distract attention from the scandal.
He wrote: “Want to divert attention from sex crime accusations? Just make up war crime accusations against Israel! Classic. The ICC is corrupt to the core."
The president of the European Parliament Roberta Metsola praised the decision to award the ICC the Sakharov Prize.
“The European Union is built on respect for multilateralism and international institutions, and this prize recognises the important work of the Court in upholding international law and justice,” she said, as reported by Politico.
Spanish politician Hana Jalloul, one of the promoters of the ICC nomination for the award, said: “It is a great achievement for the European Socialists that we led this proposal...
“We are on the right side of history. This vote shows that the majority of this parliament, together with our group, stands with international law.”
French MEP Chloé Ridel added: "This is a message of hope and resistance sent to Donald Trump. No, we will not abandon the rule of law and international justice. We will stand with the ICC for as long as it takes.”
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