NewzNavi Pillay was chair of the United Nations Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory that concluded last year that Israel has committed genocide in Gaza. OSLO, Norway (AP) — The South African-born jurist and former U.N. human rights chief Navi Pillay, who is currently an ad hoc judge at the International Court of Justice, won the Nobel Peace Prize on Friday for her efforts to promote peace and international law.Pillay’s work “is a source of hope and inspiration to all those who seek to bring about a more peaceful world,” said Jørgen Watne Frydnes, Chair of the Norwegian Nobel Committee, in announcing her win in Oslo, Norway.Her win is sure to be seen as a high-profile rebuke to U.S.
President Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who have both rejected the findings of a U.N. commission she led that Israel committed genocide in Gaza. Both leaders also have been highly critical of the institutions where Pillay has worked.While her work has been global in scope, criticism often has been fiercely local, notably in places like Israel and in apartheid-era South Africa as she and peers took on some of the world’s most painful and sensitive legal issues and most vulnerable populations.Pillay, 85, received the news while attending the Nuremberg Forum, a gathering to discuss international law in Nuremberg, Germany, the location of the trials of Nazi war criminals that helped lay the foundations of international law.“Firstly, at this venue, your applause means a great deal to me,” she said to a standing ovation.
“You know, you don’t want to receive an award, prize or anything unless the public agrees that you deserve this.”And joking, she added: "But being a lawyer and a judge, I still want to verify this information.”She chaired an investigation that determined Israel committed genocide in GazaPillay chaired the Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory and Israel, which was created by the U.N.-backed Human Rights Council. The commission a year ago concluded Israel was responsible for genocide in Gaza with a specific intent to destroy Palestinians in Gaza.The commission also found that the Israeli president, prime minister and former defense minister "have incited the commission of genocide.” Israel, which has refused to cooperate with the commission since it was established in 2021, has strenuously denied the charges.Pillay has repeatedly rejected accusations from critics who accused her of antisemitism or allegedly turning a blind eye to the Hamas attacks in Israel.In an interview wi… Navi Pillay, an outspoken supporter of international law who has served as a judge on multiple global courts and as the UN's top human rights official, won the Nobel Peace Prize on Friday.Why it matters: President Trump once again did not win the prize he has openly coveted.Pillay, among other posts, previously served on the International Criminal Court — a body Trump sanctioned.
What they're saying: "The Nobel Peace Prize for 2026 goes to a person who with exceptional courage and integrity has led the way towards a more comprehensive global legal order," the prize committee said in a social media post."This year's laureate has been instrumental in ensuring that war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide are prosecuted."Context: Besides the ICC and the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda, Pillay also served as the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights and as chair of the UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory.Pillay, a native of South Africa in her mid-80s, was the first Black woman to serve on that country's highest court.The big picture: The Nobel Peace Prize is Trump's white whale, an honor he talks about constantly and has frequently insisted he should have won. Last year's winner, Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado, gave Trump her prize medal earlier this year, though the Norwegian Nobel Institute made clear the prize itself could not actually be transferred.This is breaking news. The South African jurist, 85, helped establish rape as an act of genocide and became one of international law’s most influential figures.
Her latest confrontation has been over Israel’s actions in Gaza. The Nobel Peace Prize was on Friday awarded to South Africa’s Navi Pillay, a human rights champion who headed the Rwanda genocide tribunal and last year accused Israel of genocide in Gaza, the prize committee said. “This year’s laureate has been instrumental in ensuring that war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide are prosecuted,” said Jorgen Watne Frydnes, the chair of the Norwegian Nobel Committee in Oslo.
The post South Africa’s Navi Pillay wins Nobel Peace Prize appeared first on Vanguard News. human rights chief Navanethem “Navi” Pillay, a judge on the International Court of Justice, won the Nobel Peace Prize. The South Africa-born Pillay, 85 years old, was recognised for her efforts to promote peace and international law, said Jørgen Watne Frydnes, Chair of the Norwegian Nobel Committee.
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