Navi Pillay, who won the Nobel Peace Prize on Friday, is a South African human rights lawyer who fought against the apartheid regime and who was formerly the United Nations’ top human rights official.
She was recognized “for her efforts to promote peace and international law,” the Norwegian Nobel Committee said in announcing the prize in Oslo.
Last year, a United Nations commission led by Ms. Pillay that was investigating the war in Gaza found that Israel had committed genocide against Palestinians, its most sweeping finding yet about the Israeli government’s conduct in the conflict. The Israeli government denounced the report.
The Nobel committee’s statement announcing Ms. Pillay as the winner included only a brief mention of her work on that investigation. Asked about it after the announcement, Jørgen Watne Frydnes, the committee’s chair, said her work on the commission was an “an important part of the reasoning why she received the prize.”
The U.N. human rights office welcomed the news.
“Particularly at this time, when human rights are under attack by so many, including so many in powerful positions, this award to Navi Pillay is a testament to how important and how relevant human rights are to everything we do,” said Ravina Shamdasani, spokeswoman for the U.N. human rights chief, Volker Turk.
“Navi Pillay remains an inspiration to millions globally, including her colleagues at the U.N. human rights office.”
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