Sakharov Prize: European Parliament announces 2026 laureate today
The finalists are the International Criminal Court, jailed Tanzanian opposition leader Tundu Lissu and the Rahimi sisters, jailed in Iran.
Archive image · Photo: European Parliament / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0 (cropped and resized)
The European Parliament announces the winner of the 2026 Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought on Thursday. Parliament President Roberta Metsola is due to reveal the name. The prize, worth €50,000, will be awarded on 16 December in Strasbourg.
The Socialists and Democrats nominated the International Criminal Court together with its judges and staff, which US President Donald Trump has sanctioned. The EPP and ECR groups put forward Tanzanian opposition leader Tundu Lissu, head of the Chadema party, who has been jailed since 2025 and charged with treason – he faces the death penalty. The Patriots for Europe group nominated the Iranian twin sisters Taraneh and Romina Rahimi.
According to Parliament, the sisters were nominated on behalf of all those persecuted by the Islamic Republic. Iran International reports that the 21-year-olds are held in Dowlatabad Prison in Isfahan; Taraneh was sentenced to death and Romina to 36 years in prison. In 2025, the prize went to imprisoned journalists.