South African lawyer Navi Pillay wins Nobel Peace Prize

Summarised from 12 outlets · 14 reports · Updated 9 Oct, 10:55 · Archive

South African human rights lawyer and former UN official Navanethem 'Navi' Pillay has won the 2026 Nobel Peace Prize for promoting peace and international law.

South African human rights lawyer Navanethem 'Navi' Pillay has been awarded the 2026 Nobel Peace Prize. The Norwegian Nobel Committee announced the award on Friday in Oslo, recognising her efforts to promote peace and international law.

Pillay, aged 85 and born in Durban to an Indian-origin family, has had a career spanning apartheid-era South Africa and international justice. She defended anti-apartheid activists and fought against discriminatory prison conditions during apartheid. After apartheid ended, she became a judge at the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda, where she helped establish legal precedents recognising rape as an act of genocide. She later served as a judge at the International Criminal Court and as UN High Commissioner for Human Rights from 2008 to 2014.

More recently, Pillay chaired a UN commission investigating human rights violations in Israel and the Palestinian territories. The Nobel Committee said she had been instrumental in ensuring that war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide are prosecuted, and described her as 'one of the great defenders of international legal principles'.

Jørgen Watne Frydnes, chair of the Norwegian Nobel Committee, said the prize was being awarded at a time when the number of wars and conflicts is rising and judges and institutions of international law are under political attack. The committee stated that the ability to resolve conflicts without force or violence depends on international rule of law, and that an international legal system holding war criminals to account is a precondition for a peaceful world.

The committee received nominations for 287 candidates this year, just over a quarter of which were organisations. Other reported contenders included the International Space Station, emergency teams in Sudan, children's advocates in Ukraine and two top international courts.

The Nobel Committee said it had been unable to reach Pillay immediately to inform her of the award. Pillay's win concludes the 2026 Nobel week; the prizes for medicine, physics, chemistry and literature were announced earlier in the week, and the Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences is scheduled for announcement on Monday.

How it is being reported

• REPLAY: 2026 Nobel Peace Prize awarded to Navanethem ‘Navi’ PillayFormer UN human rights chief Navanethem “Navi” Pillay, a judge on the International Court of Justice, won the Nobel Peace Prize on Friday in Oslo, Norway. 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. Watch our replay.France 24 · 9 Oct, 11:09
• Nobel Peace Prize awarded to human rights ‘pioneer’ Navi PillayPrize given to South African human rights lawyer for her efforts to promote peace and international lawFinancial Times · 9 Oct, 10:37
• Navi Pillay wins Nobel Peace PrizeInternational Court of Justice judge Navi Pillay has been awarded this year’s Nobel Peace Prize.Al Jazeera · 9 Oct, 10:28
• Nobel Peace Prize 2026 - live: Lawyer Navi Pillay beats Trump to winThe winner of the 2026 Nobel Peace Prize has been announced, with more than 250 candidates nominatedThe Mirror · 9 Oct, 10:24
• Donald Trump misses out on Nobel Peace Prize to human rights campaignerThe South African judge has been lauded for her moral compass (Picture: AFP) South African jurist Navanethem ‘Navi’ Pillay has been awarded the Nobel Peace Prize this year. Pillay, 85, has been lauded for promoting peace and international law, from defending Nelson Mandela to serving as a judge in…Metro · 9 Oct, 10:18
• Nobel Peace Prize 2026 awarded to ICC jurist Navanethem "Navi" PillayThe Nobel Peace Prize 2026 was awarded to Navanethem "Navi" Pillay, a judge on the International Criminal Court, for promoting peace and international justice.CBS News · 9 Oct, 10:15
• Nobel Peace Prize awarded to former International Criminal Court judge Navanethem PillayNavanethem "Navi" Pillay was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize on Friday for her work promoting peace and international law.CNBC · 9 Oct, 10:14
• Navanethem ‘Navi’ Pillay wins 2026 Nobel Peace PrizeThe Peace Prize is the fifth Nobel awarded this week, after literature, chemistry, physics and medicine.The Japan Times · 9 Oct, 10:12
• Former UN human rights chief Navanethem ‘Navi’ Pillay wins Nobel Peace PrizeFormer UN human rights chief Navanethem “Navi” Pillay, a judge on the International Court of Justice, won the Nobel Peace Prize on Friday in Oslo, Norway.New York Post · 9 Oct, 10:08
• 2026 Nobel Peace Prize awarded to Navi PillayThis is a breaking news story.Al Jazeera · 9 Oct, 10:06
• 🔴 South Africa's Navanethem ‘Navi’ Pillay wins 2026 Nobel Peace PrizeFrance 24 · 9 Oct, 10:04
• Former UN human rights chief Navi Pillay wins the Nobel Peace PrizeNavanethem "Navi" Pillay, a South African jurist and former UN high commissioner for human rights, has been awarded the 2026 Nobel Peace Prize.Sky News · 9 Oct, 10:01
• South African Human Rights lawyer Navi Pillay wins Nobel Peace PrizeSouth African human rights lawyer Navi Pillay wins the 2026 Nobel Peace Prize for advancing human rights and international law.NPR · 9 Oct, 09:23
• Nobel Peace Prize 2026 goes to Navanethem 'Navi' Pillay for her efforts to promote peace and international lawNavanethem "Navi" Pillay has won this year's Nobel Peace Prize for her efforts to promote peace and international law. Follow DW live.DW News · 9 Oct, 08:40

In this story: Navanethem 'Navi' Pillay · South Africa · International Criminal Court · United Nations · International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda · Norwegian Nobel Committee · Durban

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