South African human rights lawyer wins 2026 Nobel Peace Prize

South African human rights lawyer, Navanethem "Navi" Pillay, was announced as the winner of this year’s Nobel Peace Prize.

The Norwegian Nobel Committee said she awarded it for her “efforts to promote peace and international law”.

Its chair, Jørgen Watne Frydnes, said she has led the way to a more comprehensive global legal order and has done so with exceptional courage.

He described her commitment to justice and human dignity as a source of hope and inspiration to all those who seek to bring about a more peaceful world.

Born in Durban, the 85-year-old jurist was the first woman to start a law practice in her home province of Natal in 1967.

Over the next few years, she acted as a defence attorney for anti-apartheid activists, exposing torture, and helping establish key rights for prisoners on Robben Island.

In 1995, at the end of apartheid she was appointed an acting judge in the South African High Court and at the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda.

She served on the tribunal for eight years, including four years as its president.

Pillay also served as the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights from 2008 to 2012 and, until recently chaired the UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory.

The South Africa is currently a judge on the International Court of Justice in the case where Myanmar stands accused of genocide.