European Parliament awards Sakharov Prize to International Criminal Court

Strasbourg ceremony in December will honor the court and officials

The European Parliament awarded the International Criminal Court the Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought on Thursday, the European Union’s highest honor for upholding human rights. The court’s selection came two weeks after Washington described it as a “rogue” threat to U.S. sovereignty and imposed sanctions.

The prize will be presented during a December ceremony in Strasbourg. The award goes to the court and its officials.

Established in 1988, the prize is named for Russian dissident and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Andrei Sakharov, who was persecuted during Russia’s Soviet era for his individual liberty and human rights activism.

European Parliament President Roberta Metsola said in a press release that the selection recognized the ICC’s “important work in upholding international law and justice.” Metsola said the choice was in line with the European Union’s respect for international institutions and multilateralism.

The parliament described the ICC as a court of last resort that uses international law to hold those responsible for crimes and prevent those crimes from recurring. It called the court a “crucial actor in the global fight to end impunity.”

The European Parliament said, “The award highlights the ICC’s work including investigations, prosecutions, trials and the issuance or authorization of arrest warrants.”

The International Criminal Court was established in 2002 under the Rome Statute treaty as the world’s first permanent international criminal court.

The ICC’s jurisdiction is recognized by 125 nations but not by the United States, even though former President Bill Clinton signed the treaty in 1998.

The United States has long questioned the legitimacy of the ICC. It sanctioned two senior court officials in August and another 17 judges and prosecutors on October 9.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced a broader set of measures alongside the sanctions. The measures ban Americans and U.S. businesses from cooperating with the court and could allow the U.S. government to seize ICC assets.