International Criminal Court wins European Parliament's Sakharov Prize

The International Criminal Court (ICC) has been named the recipient of this year's Sakharov Prize by the European Parliament. The human rights award will be formally presented in December.

Established in 1988, the Sakharov Prize honors individuals and organizations that defend human rights and democracy. It comes with a 50,000 euro award. Past winners include Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny, who has since died, the people of Ukraine, and Iran's Women, Life, Freedom movement.

The announcement was greeted with sustained applause in the European Parliament, as lawmakers from the EPP, S&D, Renew and Greens groups rose to their feet.

European Parliament President Roberta Metsola said the award acknowledges "the important work the court does in upholding international law and justice" when she announced the ICC as this year's recipient.

The ICC said it was grateful for the award, particularly as it faces the prospect of further severe sanctions from the United States. "Against this backdrop, the Sakharov Prize takes on special significance: it reaffirms the importance of independent judicial institutions and the commitment of those working to uphold international law," ICC President Tomoko Akane said.

The ICC, which is based in The Hague, described international law as "the cornerstone of lasting peace." Akane added that growing global conflicts made the role of the law particularly important. "There can be no peace without justice and no security without the rule of law," she said.

"A more than deserving winner," said Dutch MEP Reinier van Lanschot of Volt. "I sincerely hope this sends a signal that strengthens our determination to take concrete measures to support the ICC, so it can continue to operate despite this unprecedented attack on international law by the U.S. government," said Dutch MEP Dirk Gotink, who is a member of the European People's Party (EPP).

Dutch MEP Catarina Vieira of PRO called on the EU to go beyond awarding the prize and take all possible steps to "protect the court" from the threatened sanctions.