The Norwegian Nobel Committee announced the award on October 9, 2026, recognising Pillay, 85, for her work on international justice, international law and human rights.

Pillay served as an ICTR judge from 1995 and became the tribunal’s president in 1999. Based in Arusha, Tanzania, the tribunal was established by the United Nations in 1994 to prosecute individuals responsible for the Genocide against the Tutsi and other serious violations of international humanitarian law committed in Rwanda and neighbouring states that year.

Pillay was elected president in 1999, becoming the tribunal’s second head after Laïty Kama. She was re-elected in 2001 and served at the ICTR for eight years, including four as president.

Role in landmark Akayesu case

Pillay was among the judges who presided over the trial of Jean-Paul Akayesu, the former mayor of Taba commune in Rwanda.

On September 2, 1998, Trial Chamber I of the ICTR, comprising judges Laïty Kama, Lennart Aspegren and Pillay, found Akayesu guilty of genocide, direct and public incitement to commit genocide, murder, torture and rape, among other crimes.

The judgment marked the first time an international criminal tribunal had convicted an individual of genocide. It also established an important precedent by recognising that rape and other forms of sexual violence can constitute acts of genocide when committed with the intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a protected group.

The ruling addressed sexual violence against Tutsi women during the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi and contributed to the development of international jurisprudence on genocide and sexual violence in conflict.

Other international judicial roles

Pillay also served in proceedings involving Jean Kambanda, who was prime minister of Rwanda’s interim government in 1994.

Kambanda pleaded guilty to genocide and crimes against humanity and was sentenced to life imprisonment. His case marked the first time a former head of government had been convicted of genocide by an international criminal tribunal.

After leaving the ICTR, Pillay was elected a judge of the International Criminal Court (ICC) in 2003. In 2008, she was appointed United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, serving until 2014.

Born in Durban, South Africa, to a family of Indian Tamil origin, Pillay grew up under apartheid, a system of racial segregation and discrimination. Before taking up international judicial roles, she practised law in South Africa and challenged the discriminatory system. She later became the first Black woman to serve as a judge of South Africa’s High Court.

The Nobel Peace Prize carries a monetary award of 12 million Swedish kronor, equivalent to approximately $1.2 million.