South African lawyer Navi Pillay awarded 2026 Nobel Peace Prize

Navenethem "Navi" Pillay, an 85-year-old South African lawyer, has been awarded the 2026 Nobel Peace Prize. The Norwegian Nobel Committee recognised her efforts to promote peace and international law, and her role in ensuring that war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide are prosecuted.

According to the Daily Maverick, Pillay has held states and national leaders accountable and brought hope to victims of violence and conflict throughout her career. Her work includes defending Nelson Mandela and others who stood up against apartheid, as well as serving as a judge in key international court cases.

Pillay was the chairperson of the United Nations Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory, which concluded that Israel committed genocide in Gaza, a finding that Israel dismissed as "scandalous", according to the Middle East Eye and Daily Maverick. The Nobel Peace Prize is worth 12 million Swedish crowns and will be presented in Oslo on December 10.

Brief written by urgent.news from El Pais English, Daily Maverick, Middle East Eye, Euronews, Hindustan Times — 5 reports on this story. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.