Richard Bennett, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Afghanistan, described the awarding of the Nobel Peace Prize to Navi Pillay as an encouraging step for human rights defenders.
Bennett wrote on his X account on Saturday, October 10, that he was delighted by the award to Pillay and praised her longstanding efforts in the fields of justice, peace, international law and human rights.
He described Navi Pillay as one of South Africa’s prominent figures in the struggle against apartheid and the defence of women’s rights.
On Friday, the Norwegian Nobel Committee awarded the 2026 Nobel Peace Prize to Navi Pillay, a South African lawyer, in recognition of her extensive efforts to promote peace and international law.
Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump, who believed he deserved the Nobel Peace Prize, criticised the Nobel Committee’s decision to award this year’s prize to Navi Pillay, describing it as “shameful.”
