South African judge Navi Pillay wins 2026 Nobel Peace Prize

South African jurist Navanethem “Navi” Pillay has won the 2026 Nobel Peace Prize in recognition of her longstanding efforts to ensure that war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide are prosecuted.

The Nobel Committee announced the award on Friday, praising the 85-year-old judge for her contributions to international justice and the protection of human rights.

Pillay previously headed the tribunal established to prosecute those responsible for the 1994 Rwandan genocide. She also chaired the United Nations Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, and Israel.

The commission concluded last year that genocide was occurring in Gaza, a finding Israel categorically rejected as “distorted and false”.

Pillay told AFP at the time that her team had shared thousands of pieces of information with prosecutors at the International Criminal Court.

However, the Nobel Committee clarified that the award was not an endorsement of the commission’s findings on Gaza.

“We are not the court,” committee chair Jorgen Watne Frydnes told AFP, adding that the question of whether Israel’s actions constitute genocide would be decided by the International Court of Justice.

The committee said Pillay had demonstrated how legal measures could help prevent war and violence through historic international court cases.

It described her independence, expertise and steadfastness as qualities that had made her one of the most respected international jurists of her time.

Reacting to the announcement, Pillay joked about United States President Donald Trump’s widely publicised desire to win the Nobel Peace Prize.

“If you clap a little bit more I may share this prize with Trump,” she said during a standing ovation in Nuremberg, in a video shared on X by Amnesty International Secretary General Agnes Callamard.

Trump has repeatedly argued that he deserves the award, claiming to have helped end as many as eight wars.

“They have a reputation for maybe not giving it to people like me … and I think it would be a great discredit to them,” he said on Wednesday.

Since returning to the White House in January 2025, Trump’s administration has repeatedly attacked international justice institutions.

Frydnes said the award sent a clear message to those putting pressure on such institutions and sanctioning judges.

“That needs to stop,” he told AFP.

The Nobel Committee said its decision was not influenced by external pressure.

“Of course we have to discuss it, but it’s not like that influences the discussions in the room and decisions that come out,” committee secretary Kristian Berg Harpviken told AFP before the announcement.

International bodies welcome award

The United Nations described Pillay’s award as a testament to the importance of human rights in the world.

The International Criminal Court also welcomed the recognition, saying it was particularly significant at a time when international law was facing attacks.

The Nobel Committee said international law had become essential to peace and security amid rising wars and conflicts.

“At a time of existential challenges, including more wars and conflicts than the world has seen in a long time, international law is no longer just a supplement to peace and security,” the committee said.

“It is an absolute necessity.”

Last year’s Nobel Peace Prize went to Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado, who later gave Trump her Nobel gold medal, arguing that he deserved recognition following the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro.

The Nobel Committee said the prize comes with a gold medal, a diploma and $1.2 million.

The award ceremony is scheduled to take place in Oslo on December 10, marking the anniversary of the 1896 death of Swedish inventor and philanthropist Alfred Nobel, who established the prizes.