27/10/2026
Avocats Sans Frontières welcomes the European Parliament’s decision to award the 2026 Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought to the International Criminal Court and its officials.
At a time when US sanctions seek to undermine the Court’s ability to fulfil its mandate, this award sends a strong message of solidarity to those working to uphold international justice.
Attacks on the ICC threaten more than an institution and its staff. They threaten the work of human rights actors acting in support of the ICC (CSOs, lawyers, judicial experts) and undermine victims’ access to justice and reparations.
They also undermine the foundational values that perpetrators of the most serious international crimes, independently of their power and status, should be held to account.
This recognition must now be matched by concrete action. We call on the European Union and its Member States, including Belgium, to protect the Court’s independence and ensure it has the means to continue its work despite sanctions and intimidation.
No State stands above the law. No State possesses unfettered power to commit international crimes. The rights of victims cannot depend on the goodwill of the powerful.
The fight against impunity cannot be sanctioned.
🗣️ Read our latest opinion piece 'International Justice Must Not Be Subject to the Law of the Strongest' ➡️ https://asf.be/international-justice-must-not-be-subject-to-the-law-of-the-strongest/