Former ICC judge Navi Pillay awarded 2026 Nobel Peace Prize

Navi Pillay, an 85-year-old former judge of the International Criminal Court and former United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, was awarded the 2026 Nobel Peace Prize on Friday. The Nobel Committee cited her efforts to promote peace and strengthen international legal frameworks.

The committee’s citation warned that the system of international law faces “tremendous pressure” and that “power politics” is increasingly displacing legal norms, which it said threatens stability and peaceful coexistence.

Born in Durban, South Africa, Pillay has served on several international tribunals, including the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda. She chaired a UN Commission of Inquiry that concluded Israel committed genocide in Gaza, a finding Israel rejected. Earlier in her career she defended anti-apartheid activists such as Nelson Mandela and became the first non-white woman appointed to South Africa’s High Court.

"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," the citation read.

The award comes amid heightened criticism of the ICC by some political leaders, including calls for sanctions against its officials. Haakon Gjerloew, acting director of the Peace Research Institute Oslo, said the prize reflects a broader endorsement of the international legal order rather than a direct rebuke of any individual.

The Nobel Peace Prize was the fifth award presented this week, following prizes in literature, chemistry, physics and medicine.