An 85-year-old jurist who defended Mandela just won the Nobel Peace Prize

Navanethem "Navi" Pillay, an 85-year-old South African lawyer, has won the 2026 Nobel Peace Prize for a lifetime spent strengthening the world's legal protections. As a young attorney she defended Nelson Mandela and other anti-apartheid activists; she went on to become the first non-white woman to sit on South Africa's High Court, later led the United Nations' human-rights office, and served as a judge on international courts. The Norwegian Nobel Committee praised her "exceptional courage and integrity." The announcement caught her completely by surprise at a human-rights lawyers' conference in Nuremberg, where her colleagues rose in a standing ovation. The prize is worth 12 million Swedish kronor (about $1.2 million).