# ICC wins €50,000 Sakharov Prize for human rights

> The International Criminal Court has won this year's European Parliament human rights prize, which will be presented in December.

World · published 2026-10-22 10:17 · https://nlnow.nl/a/european-parliament-awards-sakharov-prize-to-the-icc/

The European Parliament on Thursday chose the International Criminal Court (ICC) as winner of this year's Sakharov Prize, its human rights prize.

The prize will be presented in December. The winner receives €50,000.

The prize has existed since 1988. It is meant for people or organisations that work for human rights or democracy.

Earlier winners include the Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny, who has since died, the people of Ukraine and the Iranian women's movement Woman, Life, Freedom (Vrouwen, Leven, Vrijheid).

The Hague-based court is the latest organisation to join that list of laureates, which the European Parliament awards each year.

## Background

- **Sacharovprijs**: The Sakharov Prize is the annual human rights prize of the European Parliament, awarded to individuals or organisations that have defended human rights and freedom of thought. It is named after the Soviet physicist and human rights campaigner Andrei Sakharov. The prize is given by a decision of the Parliament's plenary and is often used to draw attention to people and causes outside the EU.

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