About Sakharov Prize:
- It is European Union’s highest honour dedicated to human rights work.
- Background: It was established in 1988 and inaugural prize was jointly conferred to Nelson Mandela and Anatoli Marchenko.
- It is named after Soviet physicist and political dissident Andrei Sakharov.
- It is awarded annually by the European Parliament during its plenary session.
- This prize consists of € 50, 000 endowments, along with an official citation.
- Focus: Recognizes individuals, groups, or organizations that make an outstanding contribution to defending human rights, freedom of thought, free expression, minority rights and international law.
Key Facts about International Criminal Court
- It is a permanent and independent criminal court established to prosecute offenders of serious crimes in the international community.
- It is the only permanent international criminal tribunal.
- It was created by the Rome Statute, which came into force on July 1, 2002.
- Mandate: ICC investigates and, where warranted, tries individuals charged with the gravest crimes of concern to the international community.
- Specifically, the ICC is intended to prosecute the following crimes: Genocide, Crimes against humanity, War crimes and the crime of aggression.
- Members: There are 125 member countries (China, India, Israel, Russia, and the United States are not ICC parties).
- Composition:
- Judges: The court has eighteen judges, each from a different member country, elected to non-renewable nine-year terms.
- The Presidency:
- Consists of three judges (the President and two Vice-Presidents) elected from among the judges.
- It represents the Court to the outside world and helps with the organization of the work of the judges.
