South African judge Navi Pillay wins 2026 Nobel Peace Prize

South African judge Navi Pillay won the Nobel Peace Prize on Friday, the Norwegian Nobel Committee announced in Oslo, for her role in ensuring that war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide are prosecuted.

Who won the 2026 Nobel Peace Prize?

Navi Pillay, an 85-year-old South African judge, won the 2026 Nobel Peace Prize. She headed the Rwanda genocide tribunal and last year presided over a UN commission that accused Israel of genocide in Gaza. She is currently a judge on the International Court of Justice.

Jorgen Watne Frydnes, chair of the Norwegian Nobel Committee, said Pillay has been "instrumental in ensuring that war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide are prosecuted." The committee said she has shown in historic international court cases that legal measures can help prevent acts of war and violence. It described her independence, expertise and steadfastness as having made her one of the most respected international jurists of our time. Pillay sits on the court in a case where Myanmar also stands accused of genocide.

Why did Navi Pillay win the Nobel Peace Prize?

The committee cited her career of fighting genocide. Pillay headed the UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry (COI), which does not speak on behalf of the world body. Last year, the commission found that genocide was occurring in Gaza.

Pillay told AFP at the time that her team had shared "thousands of pieces of information" with prosecutors at the International Criminal Court. Israel categorically rejected the findings and called the report "distorted and false."

The committee said the prize does not take a stand on whether Israel's actions in Gaza constitute a genocide. "We are not the court," Frydnes told AFP. He said the question will be decided by the International Court of Justice, adding that the report belongs to Pillay and the Commission.

How did Navi Pillay react to winning?

Pillay reacted with a quip about US President Donald Trump's well-documented desire to win the prize himself. "If you clap a little bit more I may share this prize with Trump," she said during a standing ovation. Amnesty International Secretary General Agnes Callamard captured the moment in Nuremberg and posted it on X.

Speaking after the ovation, Pillay noted that many had paid tribute to her courage in the report. "You can imagine how surprised I was. Why would you need courage to speak the truth?" she said.

The UN said the prize is a "testament to the need and to the value of human rights in this world more than ever." The International Criminal Court said the award carries "particular significance" given current attacks on international law. The Nobel committee made a similar point, saying that "at a time of existential challenges, including more wars and conflicts than the world has seen in a long time, international law is no longer just a supplement to peace and security." It added: "It is an absolute necessity."

Will the prize anger Trump?

The prize is sure to anger Trump, whose administration has repeatedly attacked international justice institutions. Frydnes called it "a clear message to those who are putting pressure on these institutions, to those who are sanctioning the judges and are attacking the institutions." He added: "That needs to stop."

Since returning to the White House in January 2025, Trump has made no secret of his desire to win the prize. He has insisted he is the most deserving candidate and claimed to have ended up to eight wars. "They have a reputation for maybe not giving it to people like me, and I think it would be a great discredit to them," Trump said on Wednesday.

Experts in Oslo say his war against Iran, his territorial expansion ambitions in places like Greenland, his hard line on migrants, and his attacks on multilateralism and the media have disqualified him. Last year, the prize went to Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado, a choice generally considered palatable to Trump. Machado gave him her Nobel gold medal after the capture of President Nicolas Maduro, though she failed to obtain his political backing in exchange.

The committee says external pressure does not sway it. "Of course we have to discuss it, but it's not like that influences the discussions in the room and decisions that come out," committee secretary Kristian Berg Harpviken told AFP ahead of the announcement.

When is the Nobel Peace Prize ceremony and what does the winner receive?

The prize comes with a gold medal, a diploma and a prize sum of $1.2 million. The award will be presented at a formal ceremony in Oslo on December 10.

That date is the anniversary of the 1896 death of the prizes' creator, Swedish inventor and philanthropist Alfred Nobel.