Nobel Peace Prize: Adebajo urges Navi Pillay to defend rule of law
By the AFREEQUE newsroom, based on Mg
South African jurist Adekeye Adebajo believes the Nobel Peace Prize awarded to Navi Pillay should strengthen her commitment to the rule of law in South Africa. In this opinion article, he highlights the laureate’s role in defending human rights and the work of the UN commission of inquiry on Gaza, according to Mg.
In an opinion article published on 20 October, South African professor Adekeye Adebajo called on jurist Navi Pillay, winner of the 2026 Nobel Peace Prize, to use her new prominence to serve the rule of law in South Africa. He believes that international courts have played an essential role in defending rights and that Pillay should also promote these principles in her country.
Adebajo presents the choice of Pillay for the Nobel as support for rules-based multilateralism and a criticism of Donald Trump, the president of the United States, whom he accuses of attacking the international legal order while campaigning for the prize. Pillay grew up in a township near Durban and studied law at a segregated university under apartheid.
The award given to Navi Pillay was announced on 14 October, after the publication of a profile of the South African magistrate and an appeal by Pillay to defend international law on 13 October. Adebajo places his opinion article within the debate over the significance of the distinction.
Summary produced with the help of artificial intelligence tools, under AFREEQUE’s editorial responsibility.
