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THE HAGUE: Navi Pillay, the South African-born jurist awarded the Nobel Peace Prize last week, said on Monday that international law and justice must be defended as the global legal order faces mounting criticism from the United States and other powerful countries.
Pillay, 85, told The Associated Press in an interview that she initially needed written confirmation before believing the news of her award.
“I received the letter in writing … so now I have read it for myself, and it’s true,” she said.
The Nobel Peace Prize recognises her work promoting international law at a time when the system is facing growing challenges.
Pillay’s career has included defending the rights of imprisoned anti-apartheid leader Nelson Mandela, serving as a judge on three international courts and chairing a United Nations commission that concluded Israel had committed genocide in Gaza.
“To be honoured for that kind of work is tremendous, not only for me, but for all my colleagues,” she said.
The Norwegian Nobel Committee made the award on the 125th anniversary of the prize’s establishment. Committee Chairman Jørgen Watne Frydnes said the decision was intended to highlight the importance of the rule of law in maintaining peace and resolving conflicts without violence.
“Peace requires justice,” he said.
Pillay’s award has been seen as a high-profile rebuke to US President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, both of whom have rejected the findings of the UN commission she led on Gaza. Both leaders have also criticised the International Court of Justice (ICJ) and the International Criminal Court (ICC), where Pillay previously served as a judge.
“I value the focus of the selection committee on this important area, because it does affect the whole world if the rule of law is not respected,” Pillay said.
She sharply criticised the Trump administration’s actions against the ICC, describing Washington’s attacks on the court as “completely unlawful” and “negative and cruel”.
“Heads of countries have a particular responsibility to spell out the principles, which is that you respect the law, you respect international law,” she said.
Hours after the Nobel announcement in Oslo, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced sweeping new sanctions against the ICC as part of the administration’s campaign against the institution.
Pillay urged countries to defend the court and the wider international legal order, calling for concrete measures rather than statements of support.
She said impunity was unpopular across the world and that people wanted justice. She also expressed concern that powerful countries, including Russia and the United States, were not members of the ICC but held permanent seats on the UN Security Council, where they could veto resolutions seeking to hold states accountable.
Pillay has faced strong criticism from Israel over her role in the UN commission on Gaza. The commission concluded last year that Israel had committed genocide against Palestinians in Gaza, with specific intent to destroy Palestinians in the territory.
Pillay dismissed Israel’s response to the findings.
“We just have this condemnation by the state of Israel because they are the ones that we have held responsible,” she said.
Human rights organisations and many experts on genocide have reached similar conclusions, according to the report.
The ICC has issued arrest warrants for Netanyahu over alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza. Israel strongly denies the allegations.
Despite the challenges facing international justice, Pillay said international law was a relatively recent development in human history and urged patience in the pursuit of accountability.
“Justice is slow, so we must not be impatient,” she said.
However, she warned against complacency and urged people to assess claims critically rather than accept political messaging at face value.
“Don’t fall for false propaganda or just repeat slogans,” Pillay said, urging people to examine the evidence carefully.