Nobel Peace Prize awarded to Navanethem “Navi” Pillay
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BREAKING NEWS Updated 2 hours ago Europe Europe Nobel Peace Prize awarded to Navanethem ‘Navi’ Pillay for her efforts to promote international law The South African jurist “is one of the great defenders of international legal principles in our time,” the Norwegian Nobel Committee chair said. Listen to this article with a free profile 00:00 00:00 Navanethem “Navi” Pillay in Johannesburg in 2023. Wikus De Wet / AFP via Getty Share Add NBC News to Google Oct. 9, 2026, 4:48 AM EDT / Updated Oct. 9, 2026, 5:05 AM EDT By Alexander Smith The Nobel Peace Prize was awarded Friday to the South African legal pioneer Navanethem “Navi” Pillay for defending international law and institutions from attack in a world where “might overtakes right.”
Pillay, 85, defended Nelson Mandela and stood up against apartheid, sat on international courts for conflicts in Rwanda, Myanmar and the Palestinian territories, and served as United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights.
The award was intended to make a wider point about what the Norwegian Nobel Committee described as a global “shift towards power politics,” which was coming “at the expense of legal frameworks and global respect for law and justice,” Jørgen Watne Frydnes, Chair of the Norwegian Nobel Committee, said.
By contrast, Pillay had “held states and national leaders accountable and brought hope to victims of violence and conflict,”
“Navi Pillay is one of the great defenders of international legal principles in our time,” Frydnes said, adding that the committee had not yet been able to reach her for comment.
“Her distinguished career reminds us of the need to support, fortify and expand the global rule of law,” he said. “Navi Pillay’s commitment to justice and human dignity is a source of hope and inspiration to all who seek to bring about a more peaceful world.”
Pillay was not among the pre-announcement frontrunners, who included Yulia Navalnaya, the widow of anti-Kremlin figure Alexei Navalny, Ugandan climate activist Vanessa Nakate, and Mykola Kuleba , who founded an organization to rescue Ukrainian children abducted and forcibly deported by Russia.
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FOR SUBSCRIBERS After surviving a botched lethal injection, Christa Pike faces unprecedented legal battle FOR SUBSCRIBERS Hunger in a land of plenty: Major food banks face ‘heartbreaking’ need, NBC News survey finds FOR SUBSCRIBERS Inflation and tariffs push U.S. holiday spending projections to a record $1.7 trillion FOR SUBSCRIBERS What happened inside the room where officials tried to execute Christa Pike by lethal injection FOR SUBSCRIBERS How we reported the saga of the CIA officer and his gold-bar stash FOR SUBSCRIBERS ‘We’re going to beat you to death with audits’: Brad Raffensperger gears up to oversee his final election in Georgia FOR SUBSCRIBERS Diddy is punished following NBC News report on his VIP life in prison and contraband cellphone use FOR SUBSCRIBERS ‘Too young to vote, old enough to be tear gassed’: French protesters’ anger swells FOR SUBSCRIBERS DOJ gets aggressive in suing states that challenge Trump’s immigration policies FOR SUBSCRIBERS Justice Department seeks criminal charge for former Trump aide Cassidy Hutchinson FOR SUBSCRIBERS ‘I just want to hold him’: USS Lincoln sailor to meet his 10-month-old son as ship docks FOR SUBSCRIBERS Senate candidates run on raising Social Security taxes for higher incomes to prevent benefit cuts FOR SUBSCRIBERS Russian operation that used ChatGPT tricked schools, a politician and media, OpenAI says FOR SUBSCRIBERS Trump administration’s deal with Nevada fuels data center fight in governor’s race FOR SUBSCRIBERS Latino voters reject Trump’s immigration policies — and detail the personal impact Slide 1 of 1 “I don’t know what their decision is going to be,” Trump said in the Oval Office. “They have a reputation for maybe not giving it to people like me.”
Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado gave her 2025 Nobel Peace Prize medal to Trump in January as she sought U.S. support for her efforts in Venezuela.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
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