Sakharov Prize winner named this year

This year, the Sakharov Prize has been awarded to the International Criminal Court and its officials.

Photo: Pierre Crom / Getty Images

The prize will be awarded "for their important work in upholding international law and justice," announced Roberta Metsola, President of the European Parliament, on social network X.

The 2026 Sakharov Prize has been awarded to the @IntlCrimCourt and its officials, for its important work in upholding international law and justice. The ceremony will take place in December. Our Sakharov family also welcomes Tundu Lissu from Tanzania, and Taraneh and Romina Rahimi, on behalf of all those persecuted by the Iranian Islamic Regime.

— Roberta Metsola (@EP_President) October 22, 2026

Also this year, Tanzanian opposition leader Tundu Lissu, who faces the death penalty, and two Iranian women, sentenced to death in their home country, were contenders for the prize.

The Andrei Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought will be awarded on December 16 in Strasbourg. Since 1988, the European Parliament has awarded it to individuals and organizations advocating for human rights and freedom of speech. The monetary award is 50,000 euros.

Representatives of Belarus have been awarded the prize several times: in 2004 – the Belarusian Association of Journalists, in 2006 – Alexander Milinkevich, in 2020 – the democratic opposition of Belarus.

Last year, the prize was shared by journalist Andrzej Poczobut, who was then imprisoned, and Georgian journalist Asia Amaglobeli, who was also imprisoned.

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