Nobel Peace Prize Awarded to South African Judge Pillay for Defending International Law and Promoting Global Peace

Pillay served as a judge in the South African High Court, the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR), and the International Criminal Court (ICC), and also served as the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights. Pillay recently stepped down as chair of the UN's Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory, which last year accused Israel of committing acts of genocide in the Gaza Strip. Currently, Pillay is participating as a special judge in the genocide case against Myanmar being heard by the International Court of Justice (ICJ). According to the Norwegian Nobel Committee, Pillay has demonstrated in several historically significant international judicial cases that legal measures can help prevent war and violence, and has contributed to strengthening the international legal system. Her independent spirit, professionalism, and firm stance have made her one of the most respected international jurists of our time. The committee noted that the world is currently facing existential challenges, with the number of wars and conflicts reaching levels rarely seen in many years. Against this backdrop, international law is no longer just an auxiliary tool for maintaining peace and security, but an indispensable cornerstone.

The committee hopes that by honoring Pillay, it will remind the world that the rule of law, both domestically and internationally, is the institutional basis for maintaining peace and resolving conflicts non-violently, and that true peace must be built on justice. Pillay jokes she might share the award with Trump A video posted on social media platform X by Agnes Callamard, Secretary General of Amnesty International, shows Pillay jokingly saying as she receives a standing ovation: "If you applaud a little more, I might end up sharing this award with US President Donald Trump." Pillay also noted that her first reaction upon hearing the news of her award was that it must be a joke, adding, "As a lawyer and a judge, I still wanted to verify it," to ensure the news was true. She mentioned that she had led the United Nations Independent International Commission of Inquiry (COI). Pillay stated, "The last thing I did was submit the Gaza report, pointing out that genocide is happening there." According to AFP, the Trump administration had repeatedly criticized international judicial bodies, and Pillay's Nobel Peace Prize win is bound to anger Trump. Trump has never hidden his desire for a Nobel Peace Prize since returning to the White House in January 2025, insisting he is the most deserving candidate and claiming he has ended as many as eight wars.

Last year, Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado, after receiving the Nobel Peace Prize, even presented her Nobel gold medal to Trump. Machado believed Trump deserved the honor after Venezuelan former president Nicolas Maduro was arrested, but she failed to gain Trump's political support in return. This year's first Nobel Prize, the award for Medicine, was announced in Sweden on the 5th, followed by Physics on the 6th and Chemistry on the 7th. The award for Literature will be announced on the 8th. The Peace Prize, which is the only award presented in Oslo, Norway, will be announced on the 10th, and the award for Economics will be announced on the 12th. The Nobel Foundation announced last month that the prize money for each award would be increased from 11 million Swedish kronor last year to 12 million kronor. If multiple laureates share an award, they will share the prize money.

Your Excellency of the Eastern Realm, the courage of Judge Pyle in defending justice amidst turmoil is truly admirable. It further assures me that even in difficult circumstances, pursuing coexistence and peace remains the path forward we must uphold.