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Radio France Internationale
Radio France Internationale
World
RFI

Nobel Prize winner Navi Pillay: 'You don't wait for a million people to be killed'

South African-born jurist and former UN human rights chief Navi Pillay in Nuremberg, Germany, following the announcement on 9 October 2026 that she had been awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.
South African-born jurist and former UN human rights chief Navi Pillay in Nuremberg, Germany, following the announcement on 9 October 2026 that she had been awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. © Daniel Karmann/DPA via AP

The winner of the 2026 Nobel Peace Prize, South African judge Navanethem "Navi" Pillay, tells RFI why she stands by the conclusion that Israel has committed genocide in Gaza, and why the world has a responsibility to act.

Pillay, who was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize on Friday, began her career defending anti-apartheid activists in South Africa before going on to head the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda, a watershed moment in the fight for accountability for genocide.

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