The European Parliament honoured the ICC with its top human-rights award even as the court faces sanctions pressure from Washington, highlighting a rift over international criminal justice.

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• The European Parliament awarded the Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought to the International Criminal Court.
• The prize recognises the court's role in pursuing accountability for genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity.
• The ICC was established under the Rome Statute of 1998 and has been operational since 2002.
• It is the first permanent international tribunal with jurisdiction to prosecute individuals for the gravest international crimes.
• It operates independently of the UN Security Council, though with certain referral linkages to it.
• The United States has not ratified the Rome Statute and has imposed targeted sanctions on ICC officials in connection with specific investigations.
• India is not a signatory to the Rome Statute and has voiced concerns about sovereignty and selective use of the court's mandate against weaker states.
• Sanctions on officials can constrain the court's operational independence and its ability to investigate nationals of powerful states.
• The award alongside continuing US sanctions underscores a rift among major powers over the scope and authority of international criminal justice.

Tags: InternationalCriminalCourt, SakharovPrize, RomeStatute