Navantham "Navi" Pillai, a lawyer and former UN human rights commissioner, jokingly said "I have to check the authenticity of the news" in his first reaction to the news of his win.

Navantham "Navi" Pillai, a lawyer and former UN human rights commissioner, jokingly said "I have to check the authenticity of the news" in his first reaction to the news of his win.

Ms. Pillai, who was in Nuremberg, Germany when the winner of the 2026 Nobel Peace Prize was announced, went to the cameras and said, "I still can't quite believe that this news is true." He dedicated his award to "survivors of international crimes" and said he was "still shocked" and "overwhelmed".

He added that the efforts to weaken international law "risk returning the world to a situation where power determines the suffering of those who matter, and not the law."

After cheering the crowd, he joked: "If you cheer me on a little more, I might share my award with Donald Trump."

Maria Corina Machado, Venezuelan opposition leader, who won the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize. Ms. Machado presented her award to Mr. Trump at a ceremony at the White House.

Navi Philly is the fifth person from South Africa to win this award. Nelson Mandela, a political prisoner and former president of South Africa, also won this award in 1993 for his "struggle against apartheid".