Nobel Peace citation: Navi Pillay's influence behind Rwanda tribunal finding that rape can be genocide, and first incitement-by-propaganda charge

13 October 2026

The Norwegian Nobel Committee announced the 2026 Peace Prize on 9 October 2026, awarding Navanethem "Navi" Pillay "for her efforts to promote peace and international law".
Born into a family of Indian Tamil origin in Durban under apartheid, she defended Nelson Mandela and others before becoming a judge.
She has served on the High Court in South Africa, the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda and the International Criminal Court, and was UN High Commissioner for Human Rights.
The Committee says her influence was a significant factor when the Rwanda tribunal established that rape and sexual violence could be a crime against humanity and genocide.
It also calls her instrumental in a separate breakthrough in the same case: for the first time, a defendant faced charges of incitement to commit genocide purely on the basis of spreading propaganda.
She is now a judge on the International Court of Justice in the genocide case against Myanmar.
The Committee notes that judges are being sanctioned and institutions of international law attacked.