EU human rights prize awarded to International Criminal Court

The European Parliament's Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought has been awarded this year to the International Criminal Court and its officials, European Parliament President Roberta Metsola announced.

"The European Union is built on respect for multilateralism and international institutions, and this prize recognizes the important work of the Court in upholding international law and justice," Metsola said on Thursday.

The announcement was met with a standing ovation from European Union lawmakers.

The International Criminal Court (ICC), based in The Hague, has been prosecuting the most serious crimes, including genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity, since 2002.

Recently, the United States imposed sanctions on the ICC and its staff, threatening to "dismantle" the institution. It accused the court, which has issued an arrest warrant for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over alleged war crimes in the Gaza Strip, of political bias.