World · Africa · 7 hrs ago
Nobel laureate Navi Pillay urges countries to defend international law
Navi Pillay, a South African-born jurist, received the Nobel Peace Prize for promoting international law and human rights.
The 85-year-old has served as a judge on three international courts and led a United Nations panel that found Israel responsible for genocide in Gaza.
Israel rejects the panel’s findings, and U.S. President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu have criticized them.
Pillay says attacks on international courts weaken the rules meant to support peace and resolve conflicts.
Hours after the prize announcement, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced new sanctions on the International Criminal Court, where Pillay once served as a judge.
She is calling on countries to take collective action to defend the court and international law, rather than offer only words.
The sources do not say what countries will do next.
Navi Pillay called on countries to defend the International Criminal Court and the international legal order.
The South African-born jurist received the Nobel Peace Prize for promoting international law, according to AP.
Pillay said countries should take collective action rather than offer only words.
She called U.S. attacks on the International Criminal Court “completely unlawful” and “negative and cruel.”
Pillay led a U.N. commission that concluded Israel was responsible for genocide in Gaza, a finding Israel rejects.
- Who
- Navi Pillay, a South African-born jurist and Nobel Peace Prize laureate.
- What
- She urged countries to defend the International Criminal Court and the international legal order.
- When
- She made the comments in an interview on Monday; the article was published on October 12, 2026.
- Where
- The interview was conducted in The Hague, Netherlands.
- Why
- She said the rule of law affects the whole world and that countries have a responsibility to respect international law.
Navi Pillay and the U.N. commission she led
Israel
Commission findings on Gaza
Navi Pillay and the U.N. commission she led
The commission concluded that Israel was responsible for genocide in Gaza, with specific intent to destroy Palestinians there.
Israel
Israel rejects the allegations and strongly criticized Pillay’s work chairing the commission.
Pillay was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.
Pillay spoke to The Associated Press in an interview in The Hague.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced sweeping new sanctions on the International Criminal Court.
The U.N. commission led by Pillay concluded that Israel was responsible for genocide in Gaza.
- Prize
- Nobel Peace Prize
- Laureate
- Navi Pillay
- Interview location
- The Hague, Netherlands
- ICC sanctions announcement
- U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced sweeping new sanctions hours after the award announcement.
- Commission finding
- The U.N. commission led by Pillay concluded Israel was responsible for genocide in Gaza.
2 sources
What people are saying
Heads of countries have a particular responsibility to spell out the principles, which is that you respect the law, you respect international law
collective action, not just words
completely unlawful
We just have this condemnation by the state of Israel because they are the ones that we have held responsible