Navi Pillay wins Nobel Peace Prize after long career as war crimes investigator

Amna Nawaz:

Today, international human rights lawyer Navanethem or “Navi” Pillay won the Nobel Peace Prize.

In its announcement, the Nobel Committee said it had chosen it because — I quote — “The institutions of international law are under political attack.” Hours later, the Trump administration sanctioned the International Criminal Court, of which Pillay was a judge.

Here’s Nick Schifrin with more.

Nick Schifrin:

Today, the Nobel Committee called Pillay a legal pioneer of exceptional courage and integrity who led the way toward a more comprehensive global legal order. She is currently a judge at the International Court of Justice and a former UN human rights commissioner. She has previously served as a judge at the ICC and the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda.

She also recently led the independent United Nations commission of inquiry that accused Israel of genocide in Gaza. But his career began several decades ago. She is of Indian descent, born in apartheid South Africa, and faced deep structural discrimination, Allan Ngari, Africa advocacy director at Human Rights Watch, told us earlier today from Johannesburg.

Allan Ngari, Africa advocacy director, Human Rights Watch:

See Navi Pillay, who overcame all the obstacles that the apartheid government meant for previously disadvantaged people, to rise and climb the highest ranks of the legal industry, not only in South Africa, but around the world.

And it’s really very inspiring and should inspire anyone living in the South who comes from a disadvantaged community, because anything is possible.

Nick Schifrin:

And to talk about Pillay’s legacy and responses to today’s announcement, I’m joined by Stephen Rapp, Ambassador-at-Large for the State Department’s Office of Global Criminal Justice during the Obama administration, and former prosecutor for the Special Court for Sierra Leone and the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda. He was also with Pillay this morning when she heard the news.

Ambassador Rapp, thank you very much. Welcome back to “News Hour”.

Let me just ask this. How important is it that the Nobel Committee chose her for this prize?

Stephen Rapp, former U.S. Ambassador-at-Large for War Crimes Issues: Yes, well, they chose someone, as they said, with great courage, great vision, and great determination, who has been a true leader in the area of ​​human rights and international justice.

It was fitting when she stood this morning at the Nuremberg Academy, of which she was the founding president, in the courtroom where, just 80 years ago this month, we had the first trials against the Nazi leaders. And it is this commitment to ending impunity and holding powerful people accountable that has motivated her throughout her life.

I met her 25 years ago in the courtroom. I was pursuing a media trial, and she was presiding over the media against the leaders of Rwandan hate radio, and I obtained a historic judgment. This was hard fought. And that’s how it was. It’s based on the facts. This is based on the law and always out of enormous respect for the victims and survivors of these horrific crimes.

Nick Schifrin:

As I said today, the committee called her a — quote — “legal pioneer.” How is she a legal pioneer?

Stéphane Rapp:

Well, before I got there, she was best known for being involved in the first judgment of the Rwanda Tribunal which found rape to be a crime against humanity. This had never happened before.

And she also discovered that rape was a way of committing genocide because of the way it inflicted severe mental and physical damage on women with the intent of destroying the entire group, because, before her, frankly, the attitude was that women and often children and girls were collateral damage and conflict, and that women’s bodies were the reward for brave soldiers.

And we haven’t even talked about the crime. And finally, thanks to her, we had convictions. And since then, we have had a global movement to end this scourge against women and girls. And that is why she is entitled to the only Nobel Prize.

But that’s something she accomplished in 1998. And since then, she’s accomplished so much more.

Nick Schifrin:

As noted above, the committee awarded him the Peace Prize because he said – I quote – “Institutions of international law are subject to political attack.”

Just today, the Trump administration once again sanctioned the International Criminal Court, where she was a judge. And this is how Pillay reacted when she heard it this morning.

(Applause)

Navi Pillay, Nobel Peace Prize laureate:

Thank you so much. If you clap a little more, maybe I’ll share this award with Trump.

(Laugh)

Nick Schifrin:

This of course refers to Maria Corina Machado, Venezuelan opposition leader, who last year shared her award with President Trump.

To what extent does what the Nobel Committee said today, and perhaps her as well, relate to the current policy of the Trump administration, in particular towards the ICC?

Stéphane Rapp:

And they indicated that in their statement. They specifically spoke about outrage at the administration sanctioning judges, sanctioning people who uphold the rule of law, and treating them like terrorists.

Now we have the announcement that the entire court, every janitor present on site will be sanctioned. And there is no threat of prosecution against the United States. And even the case concerning Israel is still pending on a question of jurisdiction. This court will not be destroyed by this administration.

It will outlast Donald Trump and Rubio, and the principles that we fought for at Nuremberg and that Navi Pillay defends today will survive much longer than this administration that truly abandons American principles of accountability.

Nick Schifrin:

The Trump administration, of course, would argue that it is the ICC itself that is not responsible.

But I want to continue, because, as I mentioned, Pillay also headed the independent United Nations Tribunal that accused Israel of genocide in Gaza. And today the Israeli Foreign Ministry issued this statement — quote — “Giving Pillay the Nobel Peace Prize is not an acknowledgment of justice. It is a grotesque weaponization of a prize to legitimize anti-Israeli hatred and prejudice. Now that the Nobel Commission has awarded the greatest lie of the 21st century, Joseph Goebbels is currently applauding from hell.”

Of course, Goebbels was of course the Nazi propaganda minister. Beyond the rhetoric, is there not a legitimate debate and defense against Israel’s actions in Gaza?

Stéphane Rapp:

I firmly believe in Israel’s right to exist and I want Israel to take responsibility, as it has in the past when accused of international crimes, because that is its primary responsibility. And, unfortunately, we have seen very little of that from the current government, whereas we have seen a lot of it in the past.

But that said, it’s not this commission, and I know Navi and I know the methodology. They based their conclusions on reasonable grounds to believe that there was a case for international crimes. This is not a judicial decision. And in doing this process, they did it fairly.

And what we hear is political rhetoric, a government that has failed to protect its own people, drawing attention to this woman who, frankly, has been brave all her life. And when – but when similar crimes or even lesser crimes occur and are international crimes, those responsible must be held accountable.

Nick Schifrin:

And finally, Ambassador Rapp, very quickly while — in the time we have left, the international cooperation that defined Pillay’s career, that defined your career, that created these legal tribunals, these international institutions over the decades, is that even possible today, do you think?

Stéphane Rapp:

I mean, there’s a lot of international cooperation, but we don’t have a top-down approach — I mean, obviously at Nuremberg, we had Russia, the United States, France and the United Kingdom working together to prosecute.

In the 1990s, the UN Security Council acted unanimously to create tribunals for Yugoslavia and Rwanda. We don’t have that anymore. But there are other states like our Canadian friends, like Germany, like the Netherlands, as well as countries from the north and the south, which support human rights and which oppose dictators and authoritarians.

And I think that will ultimately prevail.

Nick Schifrin:

Ambassador Stephen Rapp, thank you very much.

Stéphane Rapp:

It’s good to be with you.