Justice For All Welcomes Navi Pillay’s Nobel Peace Prize

WASHINGTON, Oct. 9, 2026

Justice For All welcomes the awarding of the 2026 Nobel Peace Prize to Navanethem “Navi” Pillay and congratulates her and the people of South Africa. Her recognition affirms a principle that governments too often abandon: Lasting peace requires justice, accountability and equal rights.

A former International Criminal Court judge and U.N. high commissioner for human rights, Pillay has carried the struggle against apartheid into the global defense of human dignity. Her work continues the moral tradition exemplified by Nelson Mandela and Archbishop Desmond Tutu – a tradition that recognizes Palestinian freedom as inseparable from the struggle against oppression everywhere.

Pillay demonstrated that courage as chair of the U.N. commission of inquiry that concluded in September 2025 that Israel had committed genocide against Palestinians in Gaza. Justice For All commends her determination to follow the evidence and uphold international law despite political pressure.

This award comes as the Trump administration escalates its assault on the International Criminal Court through sweeping sanctions. Justice For All condemns efforts to punish an institution charged with investigating and prosecuting the gravest international crimes. Shielding Israeli leaders from accountability undermines the rights of victims and the foundations of international justice.

No government has the right to place itself or its allies above the law. Palestinian lives deserve the same protection, and Palestinian victims deserve the same access to justice, as anyone else.

Justice For All calls on the United States to lift sanctions against the ICC and its officials, on Congress to defend judicial independence, and on governments worldwide to support accountability for crimes against Palestinians.

Honoring Pillay must mean acting on the principles she has defended. The world must end its tolerance for genocide, dismantle systems of apartheid and uphold the Palestinian people’s right to freedom and self-determination.

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Oct. 9, 2026

Justice For All Celebrates Navi Pillay’s Nobel Peace Prize, Urges U.S. to End Sanctions Against ICC

WASHINGTON – Justice For All welcomes the awarding of the 2026 Nobel Peace Prize to Navanethem “Navi” Pillay and congratulates her and the people of South Africa. The organization calls on the United States to honor the principles of international justice by lifting sanctions against the International Criminal Court and its officials.

Pillay, a former ICC judge and U.N. high commissioner for human rights, has dedicated her career to confronting apartheid, defending human rights and pursuing accountability for international crimes. She continues a South African tradition exemplified by Nelson Mandela and Archbishop Desmond Tutu, whose opposition to apartheid extended to their solidarity with Palestinians.

“Navi Pillay’s recognition affirms what survivors of oppression have always known: There can be no lasting peace without justice,” said Imam Abdul Malik Mujahid, president of Justice For All. “Mandela, Tutu and Pillay understood that the struggle against apartheid cannot stop at South Africa’s borders. Palestinian freedom belongs to that same struggle. We congratulate her and the people of South Africa for keeping that moral commitment alive.”

As chair of the U.N. commission of inquiry on the occupied Palestinian territory and Israel, Pillay oversaw its September 2025 report concluding that Israel had committed genocide against Palestinians in Gaza. Justice For All commends her commitment to evidence and international law despite political pressure.

Her award comes as the Trump administration escalates its campaign against the ICC through sweeping sanctions. Justice For All condemns efforts to obstruct the court and shield Israeli leaders from accountability.

“Sanctioning a court for pursuing accountability sends a dangerous message: that powerful governments and their allies can place themselves above the law,” said Saffet Catovic, director of U.N. operations at Justice For All. “Palestinian victims deserve equal access to justice. Governments must protect the independence of international courts and investigators, uphold their legal obligations and ensure that survivors’ demands for accountability lead to action.”

Justice For All urges the Trump administration to lift sanctions against the ICC and its officials, Congress to defend international justice, and governments worldwide to support accountability for crimes against Palestinians.

The organization also calls for an end to military assistance that enables atrocities and for concrete measures to uphold Palestinian freedom and self-determination.

“Celebrating courage is not enough,” Mujahid said. “We must act on the principles this award honors: end complicity in genocide, confront apartheid and uphold the equal dignity of every human being.”

About Justice For All

Justice For All is a human rights organization dedicated to preventing genocide, defending persecuted communities and advancing justice through education, advocacy and public mobilization.