Pillay’s Nobel spotlight revives unpleasant memories of 2013 Lanka visit

On Friday in Oslo, the Norwegian Nobel Committee named Navanethem “Navi” Pillay the recipient of the 2026 Nobel Peace Prize. Daily FT and other outlets said the committee recognised her efforts relating to peace and international law; Ada Derana’s Tamil-language report also noted her human-rights work.

Pillay is a South African lawyer and former UN High Commissioner for Human Rights. Thinakaran reported that she was born in Durban in 1941 to a family of Indian Tamil origin. It said that in 1967 she became the first non-white woman to establish a legal practice in Natal. Thinakaran also described her rise from anti-apartheid activism to senior international roles, and said she has spoken of pride in her Tamil roots while identifying primarily as South African in international work.

Colombo Telegraph reported that Pillay’s career included defending Nelson Mandela and others during apartheid, working with the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda in relation to the 1994 genocide, and leading a UN inquiry commission on the Occupied Palestinian Territory. The outlet attributed praise for her work to UN Secretary-General António Guterres, who cited her contribution to major international legal cases and her commitment to justice and human rights.

Sri Lanka features prominently in several reports. The Sunday Times said the Nobel announcement had brought back memories of Pillay’s 2013 visit. The Island and Tamil Guardian highlighted her Sri Lanka-related work, with Tamil Guardian describing her as a lawyer who brought alleged war crimes in Sri Lanka to the UN. Thinakaran reported that her Tamil ancestry was invoked in ethnic criticism and allegations during field work in Sri Lanka, and said she continued to carry out her duties as an international official while maintaining professional neutrality. The reports supplied here give limited detail about the visit or the criticism.

Thinakaran also reported that Pillay made a light-hearted comment after the announcement about being willing to share the award with Donald Trump among friends, and that the remark circulated on social media. It noted that Trump had previously said the prize should go to him. The reports do not provide details of an award ceremony or subsequent steps.

Written automatically by AI from the outlets’ own reports, and not reviewed by an editor. It can be wrong — the original report is the authority.