South African judge Navi Pillay wins Nobel Peace Prize

South African judge Navanethem "Navi" Pillay, 85, won the 2026 Nobel Peace Prize on Friday. The Norwegian Nobel Committee in Oslo honored her "for her efforts to promote peace and international law." Her career runs from defending anti-apartheid activists to serving as a judge at international tribunals and as the United Nations' top human rights official. The committee said she held states and national leaders accountable and gave hope to victims of violence and conflict.reuters

Jørgen Watne Frydnes, who chairs the committee, said the prize "goes to a person who, with exceptional courage and integrity, has led the way towards a more comprehensive global legal order." He added that she "has been instrumental in ensuring that war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide are prosecuted."dw+1

UN welcomes the award

The UN human rights office, which Pillay led from 2008 to 2014, welcomed the decision. "It is amazing news, we need more dedication and commitment to human rights," spokesperson Shabia Mantoo told reporters in Geneva. She said the office hopes the award "will encourage and continue to encourage and inspire others to speak out in protection and promotion of the human rights of all people around the world."news.un+2

From apartheid courts to The Hague

Pillay was born in Durban in 1941 and grew up under apartheid. She became one of the first South African women of Indian descent to practice law. She defended anti-apartheid activists, including Nelson Mandela, and fought against discriminatory prison conditions. The committee said "a common thread runs from her early work defending Nelson Mandela and others who stood up against apartheid to her service as a judge in some of the key international court cases of our time."reuters+1

After apartheid ended, she became a judge at the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda. There she helped set legal precedents that recognized rape as an act of genocide. She later served as a judge at the International Criminal Court.dw

A politically charged choice

Most recently, Pillay chaired the UN Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory. In 2025 the commission concluded that Israel had committed genocide in Gaza and that top Israeli officials, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, had incited those acts. Israel called the findings "scandalous."reuters+1

The award also comes during a difficult year for the committee. The New York Times reported that the committee has faced scrutiny after emails surfaced showing links between convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and Thorbjørn Jagland, a former head of the committee.nytimes

The peace prize was the fifth Nobel announced this week, after medicine, physics, chemistry and literature. It is worth 11 million Swedish crowns, about \$1.2 million, and will be presented in Oslo on December 10.reuters