European Parliament awards Sakharov Prize to court that issued Putin’s arrest warrant

The European Parliament has awarded the Andrei Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought for 2026 to the International Criminal Court (ICC) and its officials.

This was announced in the European Parliament on October 22.

European Parliament President Roberta Metzola said the award recognizes the court’s work to protect international law and ensure justice.

“The European Union is based on respect for multilateralism and international institutions,” she stressed.

The International Criminal Court, located in The Hague, investigates war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide.

In March 2023, the ICC issued arrest warrants for Vladimir Putin and Russian Commissioner for Children’s Rights Maria Lvova-Belova on suspicion of the illegal deportation and transfer of Ukrainian children.

The award comes less than two weeks after the Trump administration imposed new sanctions on the ICC, which Washington has criticized for its work, including arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Galant.

Recall that the Trump administration has previously imposed sanctions against judges of the International Criminal Court . Washington explained such decisions by disagreement with the court’s actions against American and Israeli officials.

The Sakharov Prize has been awarded annually by the European Parliament since 1988 for the protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms. The 2026 laureates are scheduled to be awarded in December in Strasbourg.

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