Pillay has, with "exceptional courage and integrity, led the way towards a more cohesive global legal order," the Norwegian Nobel Committee announced.
Peace requires justice, the citation says. The laureate is described as one of the most influential jurists of our time, with a clear moral compass.
The international legal system is under immense pressure and its institutions are under attack, Nobel Committee Chairman Jørgen Watne Frydnes said at a press conference in Oslo.
Defended Mandela
The 85-year-old Pillay has held human rights abusers and war criminals accountable for decades, following conflicts around the world that have left deep scars.
For example, she defended Nelson Mandela in the fight against the apartheid regime in her native South Africa. After apartheid, she became a judge on the country's Supreme Court.
Pillay has served as the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, a judge at the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague, and a judge at the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR).
"In historic international legal cases, she has shown that legal methods can help prevent war and violence," the Nobel Committee writes in its citation.
Today, she is presiding over the International Court of Justice (ICJ) case against Myanmar's military junta, which has long been accused of genocide against the Rohingya Muslim minority group.
“Israel bears responsibility”
As the war raged in the Gaza Strip, Pillay was one of three experts investigating human rights abuses in the Palestinian territories on behalf of the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC). In October last year, she was clear about what they found:
We have concluded that genocide is taking place in Gaza and continues to take place, and the responsibility lies with the country of Israel.
She described what had happened in Gaza as “the most ruthless, protracted and comprehensive attack on the Palestinian people in history.” Israel has denied all accusations of war crimes.
Navi Pillay was born in Durban, South Africa, in 1941, to parents of Indian Tamil origin. Earlier this year, she was also awarded the Olof Palme Prize together with her South African legal colleague John Dugard.
