Fought apartheid, made judge by Nelson Mandela, changed genocide law - The remarkable life of Nobel winner Navi Pillay

Navanethem ‘Navi’ Pillay, an 85-year-old South African jurist of Indian Tamil origin, was awarded the 2026 Nobel Peace Prize on Friday, October 9, for her efforts to promote peace and international law. The Norwegian Nobel Committee recognised her longstanding work in holding powerful individuals and states accountable for serious human rights violations.

Pillay’s career spans South Africa’s apartheid era, international criminal tribunals and the United Nations. Her work has helped strengthen the principle that lasting peace requires justice for victims and accountability for perpetrators.

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From Apartheid-Era South Africa to International Justice

Born in Durban, South Africa, on September 23, 1941, Pillay grew up under a system that institutionalised racial discrimination. She studied at the University of Natal and later earned advanced law degrees from Harvard University.

In 1967, she became the first woman to establish a law practice in Natal Province and the first Black woman to serve as a judge in South Africa’s High Court system. As a lawyer, she defended opponents of apartheid and worked on cases involving political detainees, torture and restrictions on civil liberties.

Her early experiences shaped her commitment to equality before the law and the protection of vulnerable communities.

Mandela appointed her to South Africa’s High Court

In 1995, after the end of apartheid and Mandela’s election as president, Pillay was appointed an acting judge of South Africa’s High Court. She became the first Black woman to serve in that judicial role. Her appointment marked a major milestone in transforming a legal system that had long excluded Black South Africans and women from positions of authority.

Pillay subsequently served as a judge at the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR), becoming its president in 1999. She later joined the International Criminal Court (ICC), serving from 2003 to 2008, before becoming the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights in September 2008. She held the UN position until 2014.

Rape as an Act of Genocide

One of Pillay’s most significant contributions came through the ICTR’s landmark 1998 judgment in the case of Jean-Paul Akayesu, a former Rwandan mayor convicted of genocide and crimes against humanity.

Pillay was one of the judges on the trial chamber that delivered the verdict. The judgment established an important precedent by recognising that rape and sexual violence could constitute acts of genocide when committed with the specific intent to destroy a protected group, in whole or in part.

The ruling also recognised rape as a crime against humanity in the circumstances established by the case.

The decision transformed international criminal jurisprudence by acknowledging that sexual violence during mass atrocities could be a tool of systematic persecution and group destruction. It strengthened the legal recognition of survivors’ experiences and the prosecution of sexual violence in conflict.

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India connection and Tamil roots

Navanethem Pillay’s connection with India traces back to her Tamil ancestors, who migrated from India to South Africa in the 1890s as indentured labourers to work on sugar plantations in Natal.

She grew up in a financially disadvantaged neighbourhood in a family of Indian Tamil origin, reflecting the experiences of generations of Indians who settled in South Africa during the colonial era.

Her father, Narrainsamy Naidoo, worked as a bus driver and took up additional jobs, including fishing, to support the family. Her mother, Santhama Naidoo, was a homemaker who played a crucial role in ensuring that all her children received an education. The couple raised eight children and instilled strong Hindu values, emphasising equality between boys and girls at a time when social and racial discrimination limited opportunities for many Indian-origin families.

Six years as UN Human Rights Chief

As UN High Commissioner for Human Rights from 2008 to 2014, Pillay advocated for the protection of civilians, women’s rights, freedom of expression and equality for marginalised communities.

She repeatedly raised concerns about violations during conflicts, including in Syria, and supported efforts to strengthen international accountability. She also called for an end to discrimination and violence against LGBT people.

In 2021, Pillay was appointed chair of the UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, and Israel. The commission subsequently issued reports examining alleged violations of international law. Its 2025 findings that Israel had committed genocide in Gaza were rejected by Israel.

Her work has consistently emphasised that international law must apply to powerful states and individuals as well as to weaker actors.

Her leadership at the UN and international criminal tribunals earned recognition from UN officials and human rights organisations. In 2014, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon praised her contribution to the protection of vulnerable people and the strengthening of the UN human rights system.

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Trump, Pope Leo XIV and other contenders in the race

Before the announcement, US President Donald Trump had repeatedly argued that he deserved the Nobel Peace Prize, claiming credit for efforts to prevent international conflicts. TIME’s October 8 report, however, described him as an unlikely winner.

Other names discussed included Pope Leo XIV, whose calls for peace and dialogue during international conflicts attracted attention, and Sudan’s Emergency Response Rooms, a community-led humanitarian network providing food, healthcare and civilian assistance during the country’s civil war.

TIME also highlighted Ukrainian children’s rights advocate Mykola Kuleba and Russian opposition activist Yulia Navalnaya. The Nobel Institute does not publicly disclose its shortlist, so these were publicly discussed contenders rather than an official list of finalists.

Pillay’s selection underscores a different approach to peace: strengthening legal institutions and ensuring that serious crimes do not go unpunished.