Nobel Peace Prize to Navanethem Pillay.. Judge for Genocide Victims
Capital Cities – Agencies: The awarding of the Nobel Peace Prize to South African judge Navi Pillay sparked widespread international welcome, contrasted by American and Israeli anger that reached the point of accusing the committee of legitimizing “hatred and bias.” The Israeli Foreign Ministry launched an attack on X, writing, “Awarding Navi Pillay the Nobel Peace Prize does not honor justice; rather, it is a distorted use of the prize to legitimize hatred and bias against Israel.” It added, “After the Nobel Committee rewarded the biggest lie of the 21st century, Joseph Goebbels is certainly applauding from hell,” a reference to the German propaganda minister during the Nazi regime.
The Nobel Peace Prize laureate and former judge at the International Criminal Court warned that escalating political attacks on international law signal a return to a world where “power, not law, determines what deserves attention.” In a statement issued in Nuremberg, Germany, upon receiving news of her award, Pillay said, “This prize reinforces my conviction that we must stand together in defense of the rule of law, the independence of courts, and a principles-based international legal system.”
Pillay, 85, is the former United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights. She chaired the UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory, which concluded in a 2025 report that Israel committed genocide in the Gaza Strip—a conclusion Israel rejected.
Volker Türk, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, affirmed that Navi Pillay’s Nobel Peace Prize win is a collective victory for human rights and for all those seeking justice and accountability, including through the International Criminal Court. He pointed to his close work with Pillay during her tenure as High Commissioner for Human Rights from 2008 to 2014, describing her as “the embodiment of international law.”
Responding to a question about her previous role as a judge at the International Criminal Court, Türk said, “The Nobel Committee’s decision to award the prize to Navi Pillay represents a collective victory for human rights, as well as for the pursuit of justice and accountability in this world.” He added, “It is clear that we need international mechanisms for criminal accountability, including the International Criminal Court, and we are receiving a very strong signal that this is of paramount importance in our current world.”
He noted Pillay’s leadership of the UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory, which last year concluded that Israel committed genocide in the Gaza Strip—findings rejected by Israel and described by it as “shameful.” Türk said, “This is recognition not only of what she has contributed regarding Palestine, but also of what she has contributed regarding many other conflicts and situations around the world.”
The International Criminal Court praised Pillay’s award, stating that the Nobel Peace Prize awarded to its former judge, Navi Pillay, constitutes an important acknowledgment of the role of international justice as a fundamental pillar of peace. ICC President Tomoko Akane said, “This is an important recognition of the vital role played by international justice as a fundamental pillar of lasting peace.”
The Nobel Committee stated that Pillay’s career spans from defending Nelson Mandela and others who fought against the apartheid system in South Africa to serving as a judge in several prominent cases before international courts.
