Sakharov Prize

Sakharov Prize Latest News

The International Criminal Court and its officials won the EU’s 2026 Sakharov human rights prize.

About Sakharov Prize

• It is the European Union’s highest honour dedicated to human rights work.
• Background:  It was established in 1988 and the inaugural prize was jointly conferred to Nelson Mandela and Anatoli Marchenko.
• It is named after Soviet physicist and political dissident Andrei Sakharov.
• It is awarded annually by the European Parliament during its plenary session.
• This prize consists of € 50 000 endowments and along with an official citation.
• Focus: Recognizes individuals, groups, or organizations that make an outstanding contribution to defending human rights, freedom of thought, free expression, minority rights, and international law.

Key Facts about International Criminal Court

• It is a permanent and independent criminal court established to prosecute offenders of serious crimes in the international community.  
• It is the only permanent international criminal tribunal.
• It was created by the Rome Statute, which came into force on July 1, 2002. 
• Mandate: ICC investigates and, where warranted, tries individuals charged with the gravest crimes of concern to the international community.
• Specifically, the ICC is intended to prosecute the following crimes:Genocide, Crimes against humanity, War crimes and the crime of aggression.
• Members: There are 125 member countries (China, India, Israel, Russia, and the United States are not ICC parties).
• Composition
  • Judges: The court has eighteen judges, each from a different member country, elected to non-renewable nine-year terms.
  • The Presidency
    • Consists of three judges (the President and two Vice-Presidents) elected from among the judges.
    • It represents the Court to the outside world and helps with the organization of the work of the judges.

Source: Reuters

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