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{{Short description|South African lawyer, judge and human rights activist}} | |||
{{Infobox officeholder | |||
{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2016}} | |||
{{Infobox officeholder | |||
| honorific-prefix = | | honorific-prefix = | ||
| name = Navanethem Pillay |
| name = Navanethem Pillay | ||
| honorific-suffix = | | honorific-suffix = | ||
| image = Navi Pillay June 2014.jpg | | image = Navi Pillay June 2014.jpg | ||
| caption = Pillay at the 26th session of the Human Rights Council | | caption = Pillay at the 26th session of the ], 2014 | ||
| office = ] | | office = ] | ||
| term_start = 1 September 2008 | | term_start = 1 September 2008 | ||
| term_end = | | term_end = 31 August 2014 | ||
| nominator = ] | | nominator = ] | ||
| appointer = | | appointer = | ||
| predecessor = ] | | predecessor = ] | ||
| deputy = ]<br>] | | deputy = ]<br>] | ||
| successor = | | successor = ] | ||
| office2 = ] | | office2 = ] | ||
| term_start2 = 11 March 2003 | | term_start2 = ] | ||
| term_end2 = 31 August 2008 | | term_end2 = 31 August 2008 | ||
| nominator2 = | | nominator2 = ] | ||
| appointer2 = | | appointer2 = ] | ||
| predecessor2 = | | predecessor2 = | ||
| successor2 = | | successor2 = | ||
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| predecessor3 = ] | | predecessor3 = ] | ||
| successor3 = ] | | successor3 = ] | ||
| office4 = ] |
| office4 = Judge of the ] | ||
| term_start4 = 1995 | | term_start4 = 1995 | ||
| term_end4 = 2003 | | term_end4 = 2003 | ||
| nominator4 = | | nominator4 = | ||
| appointer4 = | | appointer4 = | ||
| predecessor4 = |
| predecessor4 = | ||
| successor4 = | | successor4 = | ||
| order5 = | | order5 = | ||
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| death_place = | | death_place = | ||
| birth_name = | | birth_name = | ||
| ethnicity = ] | |||
| nationality = ] | | nationality = ] | ||
| spouse = Gaby Pillay | | spouse = Gaby Pillay | ||
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| footnotes = | | footnotes = | ||
}} | }} | ||
'''Navanethem "Navi" Pillay''' (born 23 September 1941) is the ] ]. A South African of Indian Tamil origin, |
'''Navanethem''' "'''Navi'''" '''Pillay''' (born 23 September 1941) is a South African jurist who served as the ] ] from 2008 to 2014.<ref name="ohchr22"/> A South African of ] ] origin, Pillay was the first ] woman judge of the ].<ref name="reuters-factbox4">'']'' (28 July 2008). "". Retrieved on 30 July 2008.</ref> She has also served as a ] and President of the ].<ref name="reuters-factbox4" /> Her four-year term as High Commissioner for Human Rights began on 1 September 2008<ref name="ohchr22">] (2008). "". Retrieved on 30 July 2008.</ref> and was extended an additional two years in 2012.<ref name="OHCHR"></ref> In September 2014 ] succeeded her in her position as High Commissioner for Human Rights.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2023 |title=Past High Commissioners |url=https://www.ohchr.org/en/about-us/high-commissioner/past |access-date=December 13, 2023 |website=United Nations Human Rights Office of the High Commissioner}}</ref> In April 2015, Pillay became the 16th Commissioner of the ].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Navanethem Pillay new ICDP Commissioner {{!}} International Commission against the Death Penalty |url=http://www.icomdp.org/2015/04/navanethem-pillay-new-icdp-commissioner/ |access-date=2016-06-12 |website=www.icomdp.org}}</ref> She is also one of the 25 leading figures on the Information and Democracy Commission launched by ].<ref>{{Cite web |date=9 September 2018 |title=Navi Pillay | Reporters without borders |url=https://rsf.org/en/navi-pillay}}</ref> | ||
Pillay was born and raised in ] where she later attended the ], receiving her Bachelor of Arts in 1963 and her Bachelor of Law in 1965.<ref name="Heyns-2012" /> After university, Pillay pursued a career as an attorney and served under criminal defense attorney N.T. Naicker, joining the legal defense against ].<ref name="Heyns-2012">{{Cite journal |last=Heyns |first=Christof |date=2012 |title="Interview with Navi Pillay, United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights" |url=https://heinonline.org/HOL/P?h=hein.intyb/sayrbk0037&i=19 |journal=South African Yearbook of International Law |volume=37 |pages=9–21 |via=HeinOnline}}</ref> In 1967, Pillay started her own law firm and became the first woman to do so in her home province of ].<ref name="Heyns-2012"/> In 1981, Pillay applied to and attended ] under the foreign exchange Harvard-South Africa Scholarship Program<ref name="Heyns-2012"/> and earned her Master of Law.<ref name="OHCHR" /> In 1988, she completed her thesis and graduated from ] with a Doctorate of Jurisprudence.<ref name="Naidu-2013">{{Cite book |last=Naidu |first=Sam |title="Navi Pillay: Realising Human Rights for All" |publisher=Quercus Publishing |date=2013-07-25 |isbn=978-1-909807-27-3 |location=Google Books}}</ref> | |||
Pillay was nominated and confirmed to the High Court of South Africa by the ] under supervision of the bar association in 1995.<ref name="Andrews-2006">{{Cite journal |last=Andrews |first=Penelope |date=2006-07-01 |title=The South African Judicial Appointments Process |url=https://digitalcommons.osgoode.yorku.ca/ohlj/vol44/iss3/8 |journal=Osgoode Hall Law Journal |volume=44 |issue=3 |pages=565–572 |doi=10.60082/2817-5069.1288 |issn=2817-5069 |s2cid=147439191 |doi-access=free}}</ref> Towards the end of her term, the Minister of Justice ] and President Mandela submitted her name as a nominee for the ] and a judge on the U.N. International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR) in 1995.<ref name="Andrews-2006" /> Between 1999 and 2003, Pillay served on the ICTR <ref name="ohchr22"/> and was elected ].<ref name="Heyns-2012"/> In 2003, the ] to the ] of the ICC elected her as a judge in the International Criminal Court and served as member of the ] until 2008.<ref name="ICC">{{Cite web |title=Judge Navanethem Pillay |url=https://www.icc-cpi.int/judges/judge-navanethem-pillay |access-date=2023-11-02 |website=International Criminal Court |language=en}}</ref> In 2008, the Secretary General ]<ref name="Navanethem-2014">{{Cite web |date=2014-08-10 |title=Navanethem (Navi) Pillay, United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights |url=http://www.un.org/sg/management/senstaff_details.asp?smgID=139 |access-date=2023-11-02 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140810162127/http://www.un.org/sg/management/senstaff_details.asp?smgID=139 |archive-date=10 August 2014 }}</ref> appointed Pillay and the General Assembly of the U.N. approved her position as the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights.<ref name="Navanethem-2014" /> | |||
She is currently serving as an ] judge of the ] on ]''.''<ref name="Commissioners of the COI">{{Cite web |date=2023-11-01 |title="Commissioners of the COI" |url=https://www.ohchr.org/en/hr-bodies/hrc/coiopt-israel/commissioners |website=United Nations Human Rights Council}}</ref> In addition, she is the Chair of the U.N. ], President of the International Commission Against the Death Penalty in Madrid, the President of the Advisory Council of the ], and the Chair of the Quasi-Judicial Inquiry into Detention in the ].<ref name="Commissioners of the COI"/> | |||
==Background== | ==Background== | ||
=== Early childhood === | |||
Pillay was born in 1941 in a poor neighborhood of ], ], ].<ref name=reuters-factbox>'']'' (28 July 2008). “”. Retrieved on 30 July 2008.</ref> She is of ] descent and her father was a bus driver.<ref name=reuters-factbox/> She married Gaby Pillay, a lawyer, in January 1965.<ref name=reddy> (11 August 2002). ''Voices of Resistance''. Retrieved on 30 July 2008.</ref> She has two daughters.<ref>http://www.un.org/sg/management/senstaff_details.asp?smgID=139</ref> | |||
] | |||
Navanetham Nadoo was born to Narrainsamy Nadoo and Santhama Nadoo in 1941 in a poor neighborhood of ], ], ] of ] ] descent.<ref name="Naidu-2013"/> Her grandparents came from India as ] to work on South African sugar ]s in Natal in the 1890s.<ref name="Naidu-2013" /> Her parents had an ] during their early teens and had 8 children, the fifth being Pillay.<ref name="Heyns-2012"/> Narriansamy was a bus-driver by trade and took up other jobs such as fishing to supplement their income while Santhama was a homemaker.<ref name="Heyns-2012"/> The two raised their family with strong ] values, emphasizing equality between the men and women in the family.<ref name="Heyns-2012"/> While most of Pillay's counterparts during elementary school were married off, her parents insisted she and her two other sisters attend school like their brothers.<ref name="Naidu-2013" /> At the time, there were more children in South Africa than there were spots in schools.<ref name="Heyns-2012"/><ref name="Naidu-2013" /> Adamant on ensuring education for all her children, Pillay's mother would wait in long admission lines, using the birth certificates of her older children to get her younger children into school.<ref name="Heyns-2012"/> With limited money for school supplies, Santhama Pillay would stitch together notebooks for her younger children, using blank pages from the used notebooks of her elder children.<ref name="Naidu-2013" /> | |||
=== Elementary and high school === | |||
Supported by her local Indian community with donations,<ref name=BBC-profile/><ref name=smh>Maggie Farley (26 July 2008). "". '']''. Retrieved on 30 July 2008.</ref> she graduated from the ] with a ] in 1963 and an ] in 1965.<ref name=rhodes>Paul Walters (1 April 2005). . Retrieved on 30 July 2008.</ref> She later attended ], obtaining an ] in 1982 and a ] degree in 1988. Pillay is the first South African to obtain a doctorate in law from ].<ref name="books.google.com"></ref><ref name=HLB>Emily Newburger (Spring 2006). "". ''Harvard Law Bulletin''. Retrieved on 30 July 2008.</ref> | |||
In school, Pillay experienced an environment completely different than her home life, learning a new religion in a new language.<ref name="Heyns-2012"/> Despite their personal beliefs, teachers were strictly prohibited from addressing politics, including apartheid, out of fear that the school administration would retaliate.<ref name="Heyns-2012"/> | |||
Pillay had her first encounter with the law when she was five years old and testified in court after being robbed of 5 pounds.<ref name="Heyns-2012"/> Her mother had given her the money to give to her father as these were his wages for the month.<ref name="Heyns-2012"/> While the subject was convicted, the court did not return the money to her father.<ref name="Heyns-2012"/> | |||
==Legal career== | |||
In 1967, Pillay became the first non-white<ref name="books.google.com"/> woman to open her own law practice in ].<ref name=reuters-factbox/> She says she had no other alternative: "No law firm would employ me because they said they could not have white employees taking instructions from a coloured person".<ref name=BBC-profile>Jonah Fisher (28 July 2008). "". '']''. Retrieved on 30 July 2008.</ref> As a non-white lawyer under the ] regime, she was not allowed to enter a judge's chambers.<ref name=BBC-profile/> | |||
Pillay received many accolades for her writing during her early childhood. When she was 10 years old, Pillay wrote an in-class essay on how black individuals received heavier sentences than their white counterparts in South African courts using information she had overheard from her parents and teachers since she could not access radios or newspapers.<ref name="Heyns-2012"/> At age 14, Pillay submitted an essay on why South Africans should buy South-African made commerce to a competition held by the Durban Chamber of Commerce, later receiving a bronze medal for her work.<ref name="Heyns-2012"/> At 15, Pillay published an essay on the role of women in instilling values in children which earned her an award of books from the Jewish Women's Union.<ref name="Heyns-2012"/> | |||
During her 28 years as a lawyer in South Africa, she defended ]<ref name=charbonneau/> and helped expose the use of ]<ref name=charbonneau/> and poor conditions of political detainees.<ref name=BBC-profile/> When her husband was detained under the ] laws, she successfully sued to prevent the police from using unlawful methods of interrogation against him.<ref name=reddy/> In 1973, she won the right for political prisoners on ], including ], to have access to lawyers.<ref name=smh/> She co-founded the Advice Desk for the Abused and ran a shelter for victims of domestic violence. As a member of the Women’s National Coalition, she contributed to the inclusion in South Africa’s Constitution of an equality clause prohibiting discrimination on the grounds of race, religion and sexual orientation. In 1992, she co-founded the international women's rights group ].{{citation needed|date=July 2014}} | |||
=== College years and beyond === | |||
In 1995, the year after the ] came to power, Mandela nominated Pillay as the first non-white woman to serve on the ].<ref name=reuters-factbox/><ref name=BBC-profile/> She noted that "the first time I entered a judge's chambers was when I entered my own."<ref name=smh/> | |||
Supported by donations from the local Indian community, she graduated from the ] with a BA in 1963 and an ] in 1965.<ref name="Heyns-2012"/> She was sponsored by the citizens of Clairwood, the Durban City Council, and a scholarship from the university.<ref name="Heyns-2012"/> During her years at the University of Natal, the campus was extremely politically active.<ref name="Heyns-2012"/> Most classes and graduations were segregated which infuriated many students on campus.<ref name="Heyns-2012"/> Under apartheid, Pillay was forced to share what limited resources they were given amongst all non-white students at the university.<ref name="Heyns-2012"/> She once had to share a required textbook in a non-white library with 20 of her other non-white classmates.<ref name="Heyns-2012"/> In 1959, South Africa passed the ] which forced previously de-segregated universities to re-segregate.<ref name="Heyns-2012"/> As a result, Pillay was forced to transfer to the nearest non-white university, University at Salisbury Island, after her first year of university.<ref name="Heyns-2012"/> While the University of Natal offered an LLB program, University at Salisbury Island did not.<ref name="Heyns-2012"/> She filed for an exemption with ], calling the office directly after receiving no response and was then able to return to Natal where she could finish her degree.<ref name="Heyns-2012"/> She later attended ], obtaining an ] in 1982 and a ] degree in 1988.<ref name="Heyns-2012"/> Pillay is the first South African to obtain a doctorate in law from ].<ref>{{Cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=YgzGqNhLY1UC |title=Women Marching Into the 21st Century: Wathint' Abafazi, Wathint' Imbokodo |date=2000 |publisher=HSRC Press |isbn=978-0-7969-1966-3 |language=en}}</ref> | |||
She met her husband Paranjothee “Gaby” Anthony Pillay in 1962 as the first lawyer she offered a contract of articles to.<ref name="Heyns-2012"/> In January 1965, the two married, eventually going on to have two daughters.<ref name="ohchr22"/> | |||
Her tenure on the High Court was short, however, as she was soon elected by the ] to serve as a judge at the ] (ICTR).<ref name=BBC-profile/><ref name=icc-profile/> She served for eight years, including four years as president.<ref name=icc-profile>]. "". Retrieved on 30 July 2008.</ref> She was the only female judge for the first four years of the tribunal.<ref name=iwpr>Katy Glassborow (26 July 2006). "". ]. Retrieved on 30 July 2008.</ref> Her tenure on the ICTR is best remembered for her role in the landmark trial of ], which established that ] and ] could constitute acts of ].<ref name=HLB/><ref name=iwpr/><ref name=berkeley/><ref name=ICTR-report>] (1999). . Retrieved on 30 July 2008.</ref> Pillay said in an interview, "From time immemorial, rape has been regarded as spoils of war. Now it will be considered a war crime. We want to send out a strong signal that rape is no longer a trophy of war."<ref name=berkeley>Bill Berkeley (11 October 1998). "Judgment Day". '']'' Sunday Magazine, p. W10.</ref> | |||
== Legal career == | |||
In February 2003, she was elected to the first ever panel of ] and assigned to the Appeals Division.<ref name=icc-profile/> She was elected to a six-year term, but resigned in August 2008 in order to take up her position with the UN.<ref name=icc-resignation>International Criminal Court (30 July 2008). . Retrieved on 30 July 2008.</ref> | |||
Pillay has spent much of her legal career advocating for the preservation of international human rights law, with a special focus on crimes regarding rape and sexual violence.<ref name="ICC"/> She was very involved in the anti-apartheid movement, defending political opponents of apartheid in their cases against the state for poor prison conditions and the wrongful use of torture.<ref>{{Cite news |date=2008-07-28 |title=Profile: New UN human rights chief |language=en-GB |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/in_depth/7529821.stm |access-date=2023-11-02}}</ref><ref name="Heyns-2012"/> | |||
===Shadow work=== | |||
==High Commissioner for Human Rights== | |||
After graduating University of Natal, Pillay had the choice of becoming an ] or an attorney.<ref name="Heyns-2012"/> Pillay chose to pursue a legal career as an attorney which required two years of service as an attorney before becoming an admitted attorney.<ref name="Heyns-2012" /> She served under N.T. Naiker for two years, a member of the ]. Naiker was often under house arrest and had to rely on Pillay to testify for his clients in courts.<ref name="Heyns-2012" /> In 1967, Pillay became one of three women admitted attorneys and the first non-white<ref name="books.google.com3">{{cite book |author=Human Sciences Research Council. Group: Democracy and Governance |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=YgzGqNhLY1UC |title=Women Marching Into the 21st Century: Wathint' Abafazi, Wathint' Imbokodo |date=2000 |publisher=Human Sciences Research Council |isbn=9780796919663}}</ref> woman to open her own law practice in ].<ref name="reuters-factbox4"/> She says she had no other alternative: "No law firm would employ me because they said they could not have white employees taking instructions from a coloured person".<ref name="BBC-profile2">Jonah Fisher (28 July 2008). "". '']''. Retrieved on 30 July 2008.</ref> As a non-white lawyer under the ] regime, she was not allowed to enter a judge's chambers.<ref name="BBC-profile2"/> | |||
On 24 July 2008, ] ] nominated Pillay to succeed ] as ].<ref name=hailprin>John Heilprin (24 July 2008). "". The ]. Retrieved on 30 July 2008.{{dead link|date=November 2012|bot=Legobot}}</ref> The United States reportedly resisted her appointment at first, because of her views on ] and other issues, but eventually dropped its opposition.<ref name=charbonneau>Louis Charbonneau (28 July 2008). "". '']''. Retrieved on 20 April 2009.</ref><!-- <ref name=irish-times>Jason Michael (29 July 2008). "". '']''. Retrieved on 30 July 2008.</ref> --> At a special meeting on 28 July 2008, the ] confirmed the nomination by consensus.<ref name=ohchr>] (2008). "". Retrieved on 30 July 2008.</ref> Her four-year term began on 1 September 2008.<ref name=ohchr/> Pillay says the High Commissioner is "the voice of the victim everywhere."<ref name=BBC-profile/> In 2012, she was given a two-year second term.<ref>http://www.ohchr.org/EN/AboutUs/Pages/HighCommissioner.aspx.</ref> She also signed a document "BORN FREE AND EQUAL", a document on ] and ] in ]" as High Commissioner.<ref> (2012)</ref> | |||
===Private practice=== | |||
Pillay had voiced support for a gay rights resolution in the UNHRC, which was approved in 2011.{{citation needed|date=July 2014}} | |||
] | |||
During her 28 years as a lawyer in ], she defended ]<ref name="charbonneau2">Louis Charbonneau (28 July 2008). "". '']''. Retrieved on 20 April 2009.</ref> of the African National Congress, the Unity Movement, the ], and ].<ref name="Heyns-2012"/> She also helped expose the use of ]<ref name="charbonneau2"/> and poor conditions of political detainees.<ref name="BBC-profile2"/> When her husband was detained in 1971 under the ], she successfully sued to prevent the police from using unlawful methods of interrogation against him.<ref name="reddy3"> (11 August 2002). ''Voices of Resistance''. Retrieved on 30 July 2008.</ref> In 1973, she won the right for political prisoners on ], including ], to have access to lawyers in ''State v Kader Hassim and 9 others'' and ''State v ] and 9 others''.<ref name="Heyns-2012"/><ref name="smh3">Maggie Farley (26 July 2008). "". '']''. Retrieved on 30 July 2008.</ref> While providing legal counsel, her clients recommended she consult judges with expertise in international law and humanitarian law on their cases.<ref name="Heyns-2012"/> Pillay then applied to and attended ] in 1981 under the foreign exchange Harvard-South Africa Scholarship Program and earned her Master of Law.<ref name="Heyns-2012" /> The Harvard-South Africa Scholarship Program was a foreign exchange program created by anti-apartheid activists on Harvard's campus.<ref name="Naidu-2013" /> They demanded that if the university were to continue to invest in companies that did business with South Africa under apartheid that they offer opportunities for South African students to study at Harvard.<ref name="Naidu-2013" /> After completing her thesis, she graduated from ] with a Doctorate of Jurisprudence in 1988. She co-founded the Advice Desk for the Abused and ran a shelter for victims of domestic violence.<ref name="reddy3" /> As a member of the ], she contributed to the inclusion in South Africa's Constitution of an equality clause prohibiting discrimination on the grounds of race, religion and sexual orientation.<ref name="NDTV-2014" /> In 1992, she co-founded the international women's rights group ].<ref name="NDTV-2014">{{cite news |date=7 June 2014 |title=Jordan Diplomat to Replace Navi Pillay in United Nations for Human Rights |work=] |url=http://www.ndtv.com/article/world/jordan-diplomat-to-replace-navi-pillay-in-united-nations-for-human-rights-537579 |access-date=2014-08-07}}</ref> | |||
===High Court of South Africa=== | |||
She has also referred to ] as a "Human Rights Defender" and posed "arguments that could be raised on behalf so that criminal proceedings are averted."<ref>http://in.reuters.com/article/2014/07/16/usa-security-un-idINL6N0PR1S920140716</ref> | |||
] | |||
In 1995, the year after the ] came to power, Pillay was nominated and confirmed to the High Court of South Africa by the President Nelson Mandela and the ]<ref name="Andrews-2006-2">{{Cite journal |last=Andrews |first=Penelope |date=2006-07-01 |title=The South African Judicial Appointments Process |url=https://digitalcommons.osgoode.yorku.ca/ohlj/vol44/iss3/8 |journal=Osgoode Hall Law Journal |volume=44 |issue=3 |pages=565–572 |doi=10.60082/2817-5069.1288 |issn=2817-5069|doi-access=free }}</ref> under supervision of the bar association, becoming the first non-white woman to serve on the court.<ref name="Heyns-2012"/> The Judicial Service Commission is a group of jurists hand picked by the President to screen incoming candidates on the High Court of South Africa and compile the list of nominees.<ref>{{Cite web |title=The appointment of Judges {{!}} South African History Online |url=https://www.sahistory.org.za/article/appointment-judges |access-date=2023-12-14 |website=www.sahistory.org.za}}</ref> Pillay's connection with Nelson Mandela during their work against apartheid made her a familiar name to Mandela during his presidency, putting her on the short-list for the nomination to the court.<ref name="Naidu-2013" /> Shortly after her appointment, President ] called Pillay to personally congratulate her on her judgeship stating “your appointment gives me great personal joy. I hope it soon will be important”.<ref name="Heyns-2012"/> She noted that "the first time I entered a judge's chambers was when I entered my own."<ref name="smh3" /> | |||
Her tenure on the High Court was short, as the ] elected her to serve as a judge at the ] (ICTR) shortly after.<ref name="BBC-profile2"/><ref name="icc-profile4">]. " {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060509233542/http://www.icc-cpi.int/chambers/judges/Pillay_Navanethem.html|date=9 May 2006}}". Retrieved on 30 July 2008.</ref> | |||
== International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda == | |||
In 1995, the Minister of Justice ] and President Mandela submitted Pillay's name as a nominee for the ] and a judge on the U.N. International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR).<ref name="Andrews-2006-2"/> Between 1999 and 2003, Pillay served on the ICTR and was elected President Judge.<ref name="ICTR-report3" /> She served for eight years, including four years as president.<ref name="icc-profile4"/> She was the only female judge for the first four years of the tribunal.<ref name="iwpr3">Katy Glassborow (26 July 2006). "". ]. Retrieved on 30 July 2008.</ref> Her tenure on the ICTR is best remembered for her role in the landmark trial of ], which established that ] and ] could constitute acts of ].<ref name="HLB3">Emily Newburger (Spring 2006). "". ''Harvard Law Bulletin''. Retrieved on 30 July 2008.</ref><ref name="iwpr3" /><ref name="berkeley3">Bill Berkeley (11 October 1998). "Judgment Day". '']'' Sunday Magazine, p. W10.</ref><ref name="ICTR-report3">] (1999). {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140103151517/http://www.unictr.org/Portals/0/English/AnnualReports/a-54-315.pdf|date=3 January 2014}}. Retrieved on 30 July 2008.</ref> Pillay said in an interview, "From time immemorial, rape has been regarded as spoils of war. Now it will be considered a war crime. We want to send out a strong signal that rape is no longer a trophy of war."<ref name="berkeley3" /> | |||
=== Notable cases === | |||
==== Rape as a form of genocide ==== | |||
In the case of ''The Prosecutor v Jean-Paul ]'' on 2 September 1988, the court indicted Akayesu for being individually responsible for death and harm of ]s during the ]<ref>{{Cite journal |date=November 1998 |title=International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda: Prosecutor v. Akayesu |url=http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s0020782900012304 |journal=International Legal Materials of the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda |volume=37 |issue=6 |pages=1399–1410 |doi=10.1017/s0020782900012304 |issn=0020-7829 |via=International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda}}</ref> It was during the case that Pillay was able to set an international legal precedent which considered ] as a form of genocide and a ].<ref name="Frey-2004" /> The court argued that crimes against humanity are not defined by their discriminatory intent.<ref name="internationalcrimesdatabase">{{Cite web |title=ICD - Akayesu - Asser Institute |url=https://www.internationalcrimesdatabase.org/Case/50/Akayesu/ |access-date=2023-12-14 |website=www.internationalcrimesdatabase.org}}</ref> Rather, an act is considered a crime against humanity if it "part of a widespread or systematic attack against any civilian population".<ref name="internationalcrimesdatabase" /> In this case, Akayesu was mayor of the Taba commune where many Tutis women took refuge and purposefully instructed the militia group to target and rape civilian women.<ref>{{Cite web |title=New charges against Akayesu: sexual violence {{!}} United Nations International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda |url=https://unictr.irmct.org/en/news/new-charges-against-akayesu-sexual-violence |access-date=2023-12-14 |website=unictr.irmct.org}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |title=Neither Hutu nor Tutsi, just Rwandan |newspaper=The Economist |url=https://www.economist.com/international/1999/04/01/neither-hutu-nor-tutsi-just-rwandan |access-date=2023-12-14 |issn=0013-0613}}</ref> | |||
==== The role of media in inciting violence ==== | |||
Pillay also served on the ''Prosecutor v ], ], ]'' trial regarding the role the ] (RTLM) and the ] magazine in spreading hate propaganda against the Tutsis.<ref name="Heyns-2012" /> The criminal tribunal found that ] was indicted for the direct and public incitement to commit genocide while working at the radio station RTLM.<ref name="War Crimes and Trials-2018">{{Cite journal |date=2018 |title=Prosecutor v. Jean-Bosco Barayagwiza, Ferdinand Nahimana, and Hassan Ngeze |url=http://dx.doi.org/10.5040/9798216033561.ch-031 |journal=War Crimes and Trials |pages=305–314 |doi=10.5040/9798216033561.ch-031|isbn=9798216033561 }}</ref> ] was also indicted for the direct and public incitement to commit genocide at the RTLM and for his work with the ]<ref name="War Crimes and Trials-2018" /> ] was also charged for the incitement of genocide in relation to his work with ] magazine.<ref name="War Crimes and Trials-2018" /> The case was significant for considering the role media plays in politics and public opinion, and its real life ramifications.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Three Media Leaders convicted for Genocide {{!}} United Nations International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda |url=https://unictr.irmct.org/en/news/three-media-leaders-convicted-genocide |access-date=2023-12-14 |website=unictr.irmct.org}}</ref> | |||
== International Criminal Court == | |||
Pillay garnered international recognition for her work as a judge on the ICTR and caught the attention of the members of the ] during the late 1990s.<ref name="Frey-2004">{{Cite book |last=Frey |first=Barbara |title=A Fair Representation: Advocating for Women's Rights in the International Criminal Court |publisher=The Center on the Women and Public Policy |year=2004}}</ref> Impressed by her work, women's advocates wanted to ensure the protection of women's rights during the establishment of the ].<ref name="heinonline.org">{{Cite web |title=Hein online |url=https://heinonline.org/HOL/P?h=hein.journals/brownjwa6&i=82 |access-date=2023-12-09 |website=heinonline.org}}</ref> The Women's Caucus gained enough momentum to attend PrepCom and the Rome Diplomatic Conference where they codified women's rights into the ICC statue, advocating that there be quota for the number of women judges on the bench and the use of "gender" instead of "sex" in the ICC provisions of the Rome Statue.<ref name="heinonline.org" /><ref name="Frey-2004" /> After the establishment of the ICC, Pillay became one of the first judges to ever serve on the court.<ref name="ICC-2">{{Cite web |access-date=December 7, 2023 |title=Judge Navanetham Pillay |url=https://www.icc-cpi.int/judges/judge-navanethem-pillay |website=International Criminal Court}}</ref> | |||
Pillay was nominated to serve on the International Criminal Court's Appeal Chambers by the ] on 7 February 2003.<ref name="ICC-2" /><ref>{{Cite web |title=Navanethem Pillay |url=https://gruber.yale.edu/womens-rights/navanethem-pillay |access-date=2023-12-07 |website=gruber.yale.edu}}</ref> She was elected to a six-year term but resigned in July 2008, effective 31 August 2008, in order to take up her position with the UN.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.icc-cpi.int/news/resignation-judge-navanethem-pillay|title=Resignation of Judge Navanethem Pillay|date=30 July 2008|publisher=]|access-date=28 August 2024}}</ref> | |||
One of the first cases to appear in the International Criminal Court was ''The Prosecutor v ]'' for enlisting children under 15 years old to the armed militias inciting violence between the ] and ] ethnic groups in the ], north-eastern region of the ].<ref>{{Cite web |date=July 2021 |title=Situation in the Democratic Republic of the Congo: The Prosecutor v. Thomas Lubanga Dyilo (Case Information Sheet) |url=https://www.icc-cpi.int/sites/default/files/CaseInformationSheets/LubangaEng.pdf |access-date=10 December 2023 |website=International Criminal Court}}</ref> While Dyilo was convicted for his war crimes in 2012, Pillay served on the appeals chamber during the pre-trial phase of the case from 2006 to the end of her term in 2008.<ref>{{Cite web |date=6 September 2006 |title=DECISION ON THOMAS LUBANGA DYILO'S APPLICATION FOR REFERRAL TO THE PRE-TRIAL CHAMBER / IN THE ALTERNATIVE, DISCONTINUANCE OF APPEAL |url=https://www.icc-cpi.int/court-record/icc-01/04-01/06-393 |access-date=10 December 2023 |website=International Criminal Court}}</ref> | |||
== High Commissioner for Human Rights == | |||
] | |||
On 24 July 2008, ] ] nominated Pillay to succeed ] as ].<ref name="hailprin2">John Heilprin (24 July 2008). "{{dead link|date=September 2017|bot=InternetArchiveBot|fix-attempted=yes}}". The ]. Retrieved on 30 July 2008. {{dead link|date=May 2016|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref> The United States reportedly resisted her appointment at first, because of her views on ] and other issues, but eventually dropped its opposition.<ref name="charbonneau2"/><!--<ref name=irish-times>Jason Michael (29 July 2008). "". '']''. Retrieved on 30 July 2008.</ref>--> At a special meeting on 28 July 2008, the ] confirmed the nomination by consensus.<ref name="ohchr22"/> Her four-year term began on 1 September 2008.<ref name="ohchr22" /> Pillay says the High Commissioner is "the voice of the victim everywhere."<ref name="BBC-profile2"/> In 2012, she was given a two-year second term.<ref name="ohchr22" /> She also signed a document "BORN FREE AND EQUAL", a document on ] and ] in ] as High Commissioner.<ref> (2012)</ref> | |||
Pillay expressed concern about pressure being placed on private companies to enact a ] against ] in 2010. She said such action was a violation of WikiLeaks' right to freedom of expression.<ref name="Reuters Pillay">{{Cite news |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/idUSLDE6B81RO20101209 |title=UN rights boss concerned at targeting of WikiLeaks |date=9 December 2010 |access-date=9 December 2010 |work=Reuters |publisher=Reuters |first=Stephanie |last=Nebehay}}</ref> | |||
Pillay voiced support for a gay rights resolution in the UNHRC, which was approved in 2011.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Gary |first=Juneau |date=2012 |title=Are LGBT rights human rights? Recent development at the United nations |url=https://www.apa.org/international/pi/2012/06/un-matters |access-date=24 December 2019 |website=American Psychological Association}}</ref> At a news conference in July 2014, she referred to ] as a "human rights defender" and said, "I am raising right here some very important arguments that could be raised on his behalf so that these criminal proceedings are averted."<ref>{{cite news |date=16 July 2014 |title=UN's Pillay suggests Snowden should not face trial |work=] |url=http://in.reuters.com/article/usa-security-un-idINL6N0PR1S920140716 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160116214935/http://in.reuters.com/article/usa-security-un-idINL6N0PR1S920140716 |url-status=dead |archive-date=16 January 2016 |access-date=2014-08-07}}</ref> In August 2014, she criticized the international community over its "paralysis" in dealing with the more than three-year old ], which by 30 April 2014 had resulted in 191,369 deaths.<ref name="SyriaUN2">{{cite news |date=22 August 2014 |title=UN criticizes 'international paralysis' on Syrian civil war |publisher=Big News Network.com |url=http://www.bignewsnetwork.com/index.php/sid/225005183 |access-date=2014-08-22}}</ref> | |||
== International Court of Justice == | |||
The composition of the bench of the ] varies from case to case, and will choose a judge ''ad hoc'' to serve on the bench if there are no judges representing one or both of the regions the parties are from.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Judges ad hoc |url=https://www.icj-cij.org/judges-ad-hoc |access-date=2023-12-10 |website=www.icj-cij.org}}</ref> For Pillay, the party of Gambia elected her as the judge to represent their region and has been serving on the bench since 2019.<ref name="Commissioners of the COI"/> | |||
Pillay has been serving as a judge ''ad hoc'' on ''The ] v ]'' since 2019 for crimes of genocide.<ref name="ICC-2022">{{Cite web |date=July 22, 2022 |title=Summary of the Judgement of 22 July 2022 |url=https://www.icj-cij.org/sites/default/files/case-related/178/178-20220722-SUM-01-00-EN.pdf |access-date=December 10, 2023 |website=International Court of Justice}}</ref> The case brought by Gambia against Myanmar for violating the Genocide Convention against the ethnic group ].<ref name="Developments-2022">{{Cite web |date=2022-02-14 |title=Developments in Gambia's Case Against Myanmar at the International Court of Justice {{!}} Human Rights Watch |url=https://www.hrw.org/news/2022/02/14/developments-gambias-case-against-myanmar-international-court-justice |access-date=2023-12-10 |language=en}}</ref> Despite pushback from Myanmar, the court approved Gambia's case as admissible in court and continues to hold hearings.<ref name="ICC-2022" /> The case is notable in that it involves another country suing another for war crimes in another jurisdiction, which has created a lot of pushback in the international community regarding the ICJ's jurisdiction.<ref name="Developments-2022" /> | |||
==Awards== | ==Awards== | ||
In 2003, Pillay received the inaugural ].<ref>{{Cite web |title=2003 Gruber Women's Rights Prize {{!}} Gruber Foundation |url=https://gruber.yale.edu/prize/2003-gruber-womens-rights-prize |access-date=2023-09-14 |website=gruber.yale.edu}}</ref> | |||
In 2003, Pillay received the inaugural ]. She has been awarded ]s by ],<ref name=durham>Durham University (15 May 2007). "." Retrieved on 30 July 2008.</ref> the ],<ref name=cuny>] Newswire (25 May 2006). "". Retrieved on 30 July 2008.</ref> ] and ].<ref name=rhodes/> In 2009, ] ranked her as the 64th most powerful woman in the world.<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.forbes.com/lists/2009/11/power-women-09_The-100-Most-Powerful-Women_Rank_3.html | title = The 100 Most Powerful Women | publisher = Forbes.com}}</ref> | |||
She has been awarded honorary degrees by | |||
==Criticism== | |||
* ] - based in her hometown of ], ] | |||
In a speech on 8 June 2012, Pillay blacklisted the provincial government of ] in Canada for human rights violations concerning the rights to peaceful protest and free expression for its student protesters, specifically in Canada. The reaction from human rights NGOs was mixed. Quebec official sources criticized Pillay for comparing Quebec with areas known to have worse records.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.theinternational.org/articles/212-quebec-under-fire-for-human-rights-record |title=Quebec Under Fire For Human Rights Record |author=Stephanie Pedersen |publisher=The International |date=June 24, 2012 |accessdate=November 1, 2012}}</ref> | |||
* ], England<ref name=durham>Durham University (15 May 2007). " {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081003013740/http://www1.hero.ac.uk/sites/hero/media_relations/16194.cfm |date=3 October 2008 }}." Retrieved on 30 July 2008.</ref> | |||
* ], USA<ref name=cuny>] Newswire (25 May 2006). " {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090328184742/http://www1.cuny.edu/forum/?p=653 |date=28 March 2009 }}". Retrieved on 30 July 2008.</ref> | |||
* ], ], South Africa<ref name="rhodes">Paul Walters (1 April 2005). {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060926231120/http://www.ru.ac.za/academic/graduation/addresses_and_citations/2005/Judge_Pillay_citation.doc|date=26 September 2006}}. Retrieved on 30 July 2008.</ref> | |||
* ], Belgium<ref name=leuven>" {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140916035704/http://www.kuleuven.be/english/news/LIF/meet-the-honourees/laudatios/laudatio-for-h.e.-navanethem-pillay |date=16 September 2014 }}". Retrieved on 1 September 2014.</ref> | |||
* ], Netherlands<ref name=rotterdam>"". Retrieved on 9 June 2016.</ref> | |||
In 2009, '']'' ranked her as the 64th most powerful woman in the world.<ref>{{cite magazine | url = https://www.forbes.com/lists/2009/11/power-women-09_The-100-Most-Powerful-Women_Rank_3.html | title = The 100 Most Powerful Women | magazine = Forbes.com}}</ref> | |||
Her contribution to the 2001 Durban Conference on racism, the Goldstone report, and her steering of the UN Human Rights Council have been criticized as unjust.<ref>{{cite web|url= http://www.jpost.com/Opinion/Op-Ed-Contributors/Depravity-at-the-UN-Human-Rights-Council-368834 | title = Depravity at the UN Human Rights Council | last = Bayefsky | first = Anne | work= Jerusalem Post | date= 2014-07-24 | accessdate= 2041-07-25}}</ref> | |||
In 2009, she received the Golden Plate Award of the ] presented by Awards Council member Archbishop Desmond Tutu at an awards ceremony at St. George's Cathedral in Cape Town, South Africa.<ref>{{cite web|title= Golden Plate Awardees of the American Academy of Achievement |website=www.achievement.org|publisher=]|url= https://achievement.org/our-history/golden-plate-awards/#public-service}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |date=July 2009 |website=www.achievement.org|publisher=]|title=2009 Summit Highlights |url= https://achievement.org/summit/2009/}}</ref> | |||
==References== | |||
{{Reflist|2}} | |||
{{commons category|Navanethem Pillay}} | |||
==Controversies== | |||
{{Authority control|VIAF=122765965}} | |||
=== Sri Lanka === | |||
] | |||
Her criticism of the Sri Lankan government being an authoritarian state,<ref>{{Cite news |date=2013-08-31 |title=UN's Navi Pillay attacks Sri Lanka human rights record |language=en-GB |work=BBC News |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-23899082 |access-date=2023-11-02}}</ref> in alleging human rights violations and atrocities committed by them against Tamil civilians at the end of the ], has led the government and its supporters to apportion her own Tamil descent as the only reason for her criticism, a claim she strongly denies.<ref>{{cite web |author=IDN Depth news |date=27 September 2013 |title=Sri Lanka: UN's Navi Pillay Fails to Dispel Charges of Bias |url=http://www.nation.lk/edition/special/item/20767-sri-lanka-uns-navi-pillay-fails-to-dispel-charges-of-bias.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140804144854/http://www.nation.lk/edition/special/item/20767-sri-lanka-uns-navi-pillay-fails-to-dispel-charges-of-bias.html |archive-date=4 August 2014 |access-date=2014-08-12 |publisher=] |df=dmy}}</ref> | |||
=== Canada === | |||
] | |||
In a speech on 8 June 2012, Pillay blacklisted the provincial government of ] in Canada for human rights violations concerning the rights to peaceful protest and free expression for its student protesters, specifically in Canada.<ref name="Pedersen-2012">{{cite web |author=Stephanie Pedersen |date=24 June 2012 |title=Quebec Under Fire For Human Rights Record |url=http://www.theinternational.org/articles/212-quebec-under-fire-for-human-rights-record |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://archive.today/20131020045232/http://www.theinternational.org/articles/212-quebec-under-fire-for-human-rights-record |archive-date=20 October 2013 |access-date=2012-11-01 |publisher=The International}}</ref> The bill in question, Bill 78, required that protest groups over 50 must gain approval from authorities at least 8 hours before the planned start of the protest.<ref name="Pedersen-2012" /> The reaction from human rights NGOs was mixed.<ref name="Pedersen-2012" /> Quebec official sources criticized Pillay for comparing Quebec with areas known to have worse records.<ref name="Pedersen-2012" /> | |||
=== Zimbabwe === | |||
Pillay's call in 2012 for the suspension of ] against the ] regime in ] was criticized by civil society groups in the country, which accused the Zimbabwean government of manipulating Pillay into overlooking the human rights violations committed by the government.<ref>{{Cite web |last=AFP |date=25 May 2012 |title=Pillay calls for an end to sanctions against Zimbabwe |url=https://mg.co.za/article/2012-05-25-pillay-pushes-to-suspend-sanctions-against-zimbabwe/ |access-date=2019-05-27 |website=The M&G Online |language=en}}</ref> | |||
=== Israel-Gaza conflict === | |||
Her contribution to the ], the ], and her steering of the ] have been criticized as unjust by '']''.<ref>{{cite web |last=Bayefsky |first=Anne |date=2014-07-24 |title=Depravity at the UN Human Rights Council |url=http://www.jpost.com/Opinion/Op-Ed-Contributors/Depravity-at-the-UN-Human-Rights-Council-368834 |access-date=2014-07-25 |work=Jerusalem Post}}</ref> Pillay's claim that Israel was engaged in the "apparent targeting of …children playing", on 23 July 2014, a charge previously denied by IDF spokesmen,<ref>{{cite web |date=2014-08-16 |title=An eyewitness account of the attack that killed four children on Gaza beach |url=http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/1.605568 |access-date=2014-08-10 |work=Haaretz}}</ref> has been described by ] as "incitement to hate".<ref>{{cite web |date=2014-08-08 |title=Gaza Strip conflict: Time to face the ugly truth - the UN encourages terrorism |url=https://www.foxnews.com/opinion/gaza-strip-conflict-time-to-face-the-ugly-truth-the-un-encourages-terrorism/ |access-date=2014-08-10 |work=Fox News}}</ref> After reviewing the heavy US contribution to the ] program, Pillay called for better defense for Gaza, stating that "no such protection has been provided to Gazans against the shelling".<ref name="abc2">{{cite web |date=2014-07-31 |title=Abbas Seeks Broad Support for War Crimes Charges |url=https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/wireStory/pillay-israel-hamas-committing-war-crimes-24785678 |access-date=2014-08-09 |work=ABC News}}</ref> The'']'' magazine described this statement as a "hilariously delicious absurdity".<ref>{{cite web |date=2014-08-04 |title=Did the U.N. Call on Israel to Share Iron Dome With Hamas? |url=https://www.tabletmag.com/sections/news/articles/did-the-un-call-on-israel-to-share-iron-dome-with-hamas |access-date=2014-08-09 |work=Tablet}}</ref> On 25 July 2014, the ] published a letter addressed to Pillay by over 100 members in which the signatories asserted that the Human Rights Council "cannot be taken seriously as a human rights organisation" over their handling of the ].<ref>{{cite web |last=Israel |first=Steve |author-link1=Steve Israel |author2=Ted Deutch |author-link2=Ted Deutch |author3=Ileana Ros-Lehtinen |author-link3=Ileana Ros-Lehtinen |author4=Tom Cole |author-link4=Tom Cole |date=25 July 2014 |title=Letter to Navi Pillay |url=http://israel.house.gov/sites/israel.house.gov/files/wysiwyg_uploaded/UN%20HRC%20Letter%20on%20Hamas%20Human%20Shields%20-%20FINAL%20SIGNATURES.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140802125231/http://israel.house.gov/sites/israel.house.gov/files/wysiwyg_uploaded/UN%20HRC%20Letter%20on%20Hamas%20Human%20Shields%20-%20FINAL%20SIGNATURES.pdf |archive-date=2 August 2014 |access-date=2014-08-10 |work=] |df=dmy-all}}</ref> In July 2022 Pillay defended ], a member of the ] who questioned Israel's right to be a UN member state and alluded to a "Jewish lobby controlling social media," which prompted condemnation by Israel, Britain and United States. Pillay claimed that Kothari's comments were taken out of context.<ref>{{cite web |date=2022-07-29 |title=UN investigator's 'Jewish lobby' comments taken out of context, rights chief claims |url=https://www.i24news.tv/en/news/international/1659070623-un-investigator-s-jewish-lobby-comments-taken-out-of-context-rights-chief-claims |access-date=2022-09-16 |work=I24NEWS}}</ref> | |||
Pillay is now chair of the UN ], created after the ].<ref name="Commissioners of the COI"/> The U.S. and Europe have been vocal about their disapproval of the establishment of the commission because it has no formal end date, to which she has responded that "the occupation does not have end date either and you tend to support that occupation".<ref name="UN">{{Citation |title=UN's Navi Pillay: Israel has 'no intention of ending occupation' {{!}} Talk to Al Jazeera |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cz1th-a_2M4 |access-date=2023-12-09 |language=en}}</ref> Pillay has also claimed that war crimes are being committed both by ] and Israel in the wake of the terrorist ] in 2023.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.ohchr.org/sites/default/files/documents/hrbodies/hrcouncil/sessions-regular/session56/a-hrc-56-crp-3.pdf |title=Detailed findings on attacks carried out on and after 7 October 2023 in Israel |website=ohchr.org |publisher=United Nations Human Rights Council |format=PDF |date=19 June 2024 |access-date=20 June 2024}}</ref> She has additionally denounced Israel's retribution for disproportionately targeting children and has been hesitant to call Israel's actions self-defense.<ref name="UN" /> In response, many critics from prominent news sources such as the ] have called her comments anti-semitic.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Pillay's Pogrom: The UN Tells Palestinian Terrorists, "We Have Your Back" |url=https://jcpa.org/article/pillays-pogrom-the-un-tells-palestinian-terrorists-we-have-your-back/ |access-date=2023-12-10 |website=Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs |language=en-US}}</ref> | |||
== See also == | |||
* ] | |||
* ] | |||
== References == | |||
{{Reflist}} | |||
{{commons category|Navanethem Pillay}}{{Authority control}} | |||
<!-- Metadata: see ] --> | |||
{{Persondata | |||
|NAME = Navanethem Pillay | |||
|ALTERNATIVE NAMES = Navi Pillay | |||
|SHORT DESCRIPTION = ], ] and ] activist | |||
|DATE OF BIRTH = 23 September 1941 | |||
|PLACE OF BIRTH = ], South Africa | |||
|DATE OF DEATH = | |||
|PLACE OF DEATH = | |||
}} | |||
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Latest revision as of 15:51, 10 January 2025
South African lawyer, judge and human rights activist
Navanethem Pillay | |
---|---|
Pillay at the 26th session of the Human Rights Council, 2014 | |
United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights | |
In office 1 September 2008 – 31 August 2014 | |
Nominated by | Ban Ki-moon |
Deputy | Kang Kyung-wha Flavia Pansieri |
Preceded by | Louise Arbour |
Succeeded by | Prince Zeid bin Ra'ad |
Judge of the International Criminal Court | |
In office 11 March 2003 – 31 August 2008 | |
Nominated by | South Africa |
Appointed by | Assembly of States Parties |
President of the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda | |
In office 1999–2003 | |
Preceded by | Laity Kama |
Succeeded by | Erik Møse |
Judge of the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda | |
In office 1995–2003 | |
Judge of the High Court of South Africa | |
In office 1995–1995 | |
Nominated by | Nelson Mandela |
Personal details | |
Born | (1941-09-23) 23 September 1941 (age 83) Durban, Natal Province, Union of South Africa |
Spouse | Gaby Pillay |
Residence(s) | Geneva, Switzerland |
Alma mater | |
Profession | Jurist |
Navanethem "Navi" Pillay (born 23 September 1941) is a South African jurist who served as the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights from 2008 to 2014. A South African of Indian Tamil origin, Pillay was the first non-white woman judge of the High Court of South Africa. She has also served as a judge of the International Criminal Court and President of the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda. Her four-year term as High Commissioner for Human Rights began on 1 September 2008 and was extended an additional two years in 2012. In September 2014 Prince Zeid bin Ra'ad succeeded her in her position as High Commissioner for Human Rights. In April 2015, Pillay became the 16th Commissioner of the International Commission Against the Death Penalty. She is also one of the 25 leading figures on the Information and Democracy Commission launched by Reporters Without Borders.
Pillay was born and raised in Durban, South Africa where she later attended the University of Natal, receiving her Bachelor of Arts in 1963 and her Bachelor of Law in 1965. After university, Pillay pursued a career as an attorney and served under criminal defense attorney N.T. Naicker, joining the legal defense against apartheid. In 1967, Pillay started her own law firm and became the first woman to do so in her home province of Natal. In 1981, Pillay applied to and attended Harvard University under the foreign exchange Harvard-South Africa Scholarship Program and earned her Master of Law. In 1988, she completed her thesis and graduated from Harvard Law School with a Doctorate of Jurisprudence.
Pillay was nominated and confirmed to the High Court of South Africa by the Judicial Service Commission under supervision of the bar association in 1995. Towards the end of her term, the Minister of Justice Abdullah Omar and President Mandela submitted her name as a nominee for the U.N. Security Council and a judge on the U.N. International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR) in 1995. Between 1999 and 2003, Pillay served on the ICTR and was elected President Judge. In 2003, the Assembly of States Parties to the Rome Statue of the ICC elected her as a judge in the International Criminal Court and served as member of the Appeals Chamber until 2008. In 2008, the Secretary General Ban Ki Moon appointed Pillay and the General Assembly of the U.N. approved her position as the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights.
She is currently serving as an ad hoc judge of the International Court of Justice on The Gambia v Myanmar. In addition, she is the Chair of the U.N. Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory, President of the International Commission Against the Death Penalty in Madrid, the President of the Advisory Council of the International Nuremberg Principles Academy, and the Chair of the Quasi-Judicial Inquiry into Detention in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.
Background
Early childhood
Navanetham Nadoo was born to Narrainsamy Nadoo and Santhama Nadoo in 1941 in a poor neighborhood of Durban, Natal Province, Union of South Africa of Indian Tamil descent. Her grandparents came from India as indentured servants to work on South African sugar plantations in Natal in the 1890s. Her parents had an arranged marriage during their early teens and had 8 children, the fifth being Pillay. Narriansamy was a bus-driver by trade and took up other jobs such as fishing to supplement their income while Santhama was a homemaker. The two raised their family with strong Hindu values, emphasizing equality between the men and women in the family. While most of Pillay's counterparts during elementary school were married off, her parents insisted she and her two other sisters attend school like their brothers. At the time, there were more children in South Africa than there were spots in schools. Adamant on ensuring education for all her children, Pillay's mother would wait in long admission lines, using the birth certificates of her older children to get her younger children into school. With limited money for school supplies, Santhama Pillay would stitch together notebooks for her younger children, using blank pages from the used notebooks of her elder children.
Elementary and high school
In school, Pillay experienced an environment completely different than her home life, learning a new religion in a new language. Despite their personal beliefs, teachers were strictly prohibited from addressing politics, including apartheid, out of fear that the school administration would retaliate.
Pillay had her first encounter with the law when she was five years old and testified in court after being robbed of 5 pounds. Her mother had given her the money to give to her father as these were his wages for the month. While the subject was convicted, the court did not return the money to her father.
Pillay received many accolades for her writing during her early childhood. When she was 10 years old, Pillay wrote an in-class essay on how black individuals received heavier sentences than their white counterparts in South African courts using information she had overheard from her parents and teachers since she could not access radios or newspapers. At age 14, Pillay submitted an essay on why South Africans should buy South-African made commerce to a competition held by the Durban Chamber of Commerce, later receiving a bronze medal for her work. At 15, Pillay published an essay on the role of women in instilling values in children which earned her an award of books from the Jewish Women's Union.
College years and beyond
Supported by donations from the local Indian community, she graduated from the University of Natal with a BA in 1963 and an LLB in 1965. She was sponsored by the citizens of Clairwood, the Durban City Council, and a scholarship from the university. During her years at the University of Natal, the campus was extremely politically active. Most classes and graduations were segregated which infuriated many students on campus. Under apartheid, Pillay was forced to share what limited resources they were given amongst all non-white students at the university. She once had to share a required textbook in a non-white library with 20 of her other non-white classmates. In 1959, South Africa passed the Separate Universities Act which forced previously de-segregated universities to re-segregate. As a result, Pillay was forced to transfer to the nearest non-white university, University at Salisbury Island, after her first year of university. While the University of Natal offered an LLB program, University at Salisbury Island did not. She filed for an exemption with Minister of Justice, calling the office directly after receiving no response and was then able to return to Natal where she could finish her degree. She later attended Harvard Law School, obtaining an LLM in 1982 and a Doctor of Juridical Science degree in 1988. Pillay is the first South African to obtain a doctorate in law from Harvard Law School.
She met her husband Paranjothee “Gaby” Anthony Pillay in 1962 as the first lawyer she offered a contract of articles to. In January 1965, the two married, eventually going on to have two daughters.
Legal career
Pillay has spent much of her legal career advocating for the preservation of international human rights law, with a special focus on crimes regarding rape and sexual violence. She was very involved in the anti-apartheid movement, defending political opponents of apartheid in their cases against the state for poor prison conditions and the wrongful use of torture.
Shadow work
After graduating University of Natal, Pillay had the choice of becoming an advocate or an attorney. Pillay chose to pursue a legal career as an attorney which required two years of service as an attorney before becoming an admitted attorney. She served under N.T. Naiker for two years, a member of the African National Congress. Naiker was often under house arrest and had to rely on Pillay to testify for his clients in courts. In 1967, Pillay became one of three women admitted attorneys and the first non-white woman to open her own law practice in Natal Province. She says she had no other alternative: "No law firm would employ me because they said they could not have white employees taking instructions from a coloured person". As a non-white lawyer under the Apartheid regime, she was not allowed to enter a judge's chambers.
Private practice
During her 28 years as a lawyer in South Africa, she defended anti-Apartheid activists of the African National Congress, the Unity Movement, the Black Consciousness Movement, and Azapo. She also helped expose the use of torture and poor conditions of political detainees. When her husband was detained in 1971 under the Terrorism Act, she successfully sued to prevent the police from using unlawful methods of interrogation against him. In 1973, she won the right for political prisoners on Robben Island, including Nelson Mandela, to have access to lawyers in State v Kader Hassim and 9 others and State v Harry Gwala and 9 others. While providing legal counsel, her clients recommended she consult judges with expertise in international law and humanitarian law on their cases. Pillay then applied to and attended Harvard University in 1981 under the foreign exchange Harvard-South Africa Scholarship Program and earned her Master of Law. The Harvard-South Africa Scholarship Program was a foreign exchange program created by anti-apartheid activists on Harvard's campus. They demanded that if the university were to continue to invest in companies that did business with South Africa under apartheid that they offer opportunities for South African students to study at Harvard. After completing her thesis, she graduated from Harvard Law School with a Doctorate of Jurisprudence in 1988. She co-founded the Advice Desk for the Abused and ran a shelter for victims of domestic violence. As a member of the Women's National Coalition, she contributed to the inclusion in South Africa's Constitution of an equality clause prohibiting discrimination on the grounds of race, religion and sexual orientation. In 1992, she co-founded the international women's rights group Equality Now.
High Court of South Africa
In 1995, the year after the African National Congress came to power, Pillay was nominated and confirmed to the High Court of South Africa by the President Nelson Mandela and the Judicial Service Commission under supervision of the bar association, becoming the first non-white woman to serve on the court. The Judicial Service Commission is a group of jurists hand picked by the President to screen incoming candidates on the High Court of South Africa and compile the list of nominees. Pillay's connection with Nelson Mandela during their work against apartheid made her a familiar name to Mandela during his presidency, putting her on the short-list for the nomination to the court. Shortly after her appointment, President Nelson Mandela called Pillay to personally congratulate her on her judgeship stating “your appointment gives me great personal joy. I hope it soon will be important”. She noted that "the first time I entered a judge's chambers was when I entered my own."
Her tenure on the High Court was short, as the United Nations General Assembly elected her to serve as a judge at the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR) shortly after.
International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda
In 1995, the Minister of Justice Abdullah Omar and President Mandela submitted Pillay's name as a nominee for the U.N. Security Council and a judge on the U.N. International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR). Between 1999 and 2003, Pillay served on the ICTR and was elected President Judge. She served for eight years, including four years as president. She was the only female judge for the first four years of the tribunal. Her tenure on the ICTR is best remembered for her role in the landmark trial of Jean-Paul Akayesu, which established that rape and sexual assault could constitute acts of genocide. Pillay said in an interview, "From time immemorial, rape has been regarded as spoils of war. Now it will be considered a war crime. We want to send out a strong signal that rape is no longer a trophy of war."
Notable cases
Rape as a form of genocide
In the case of The Prosecutor v Jean-Paul Akayesu on 2 September 1988, the court indicted Akayesu for being individually responsible for death and harm of Tutsis during the Rwandan Genocide. It was during the case that Pillay was able to set an international legal precedent which considered rape as a form of genocide and a crime against humanity. The court argued that crimes against humanity are not defined by their discriminatory intent. Rather, an act is considered a crime against humanity if it "part of a widespread or systematic attack against any civilian population". In this case, Akayesu was mayor of the Taba commune where many Tutis women took refuge and purposefully instructed the militia group to target and rape civilian women.
The role of media in inciting violence
Pillay also served on the Prosecutor v Ferdinand Nahimana, Jean-Bosco Barayagwiza, Hassan Ngeze trial regarding the role the Radio Television Libre des Mille Collins (RTLM) and the Kangura magazine in spreading hate propaganda against the Tutsis. The criminal tribunal found that Ferdinand Nahimana was indicted for the direct and public incitement to commit genocide while working at the radio station RTLM. Jean-Bosco Barayagwiza was also indicted for the direct and public incitement to commit genocide at the RTLM and for his work with the Coalition for the Defence of the Republic. Hassan Ngeze was also charged for the incitement of genocide in relation to his work with Kangura magazine. The case was significant for considering the role media plays in politics and public opinion, and its real life ramifications.
International Criminal Court
Pillay garnered international recognition for her work as a judge on the ICTR and caught the attention of the members of the Women's Caucus for Gender Justice during the late 1990s. Impressed by her work, women's advocates wanted to ensure the protection of women's rights during the establishment of the International Criminal Court. The Women's Caucus gained enough momentum to attend PrepCom and the Rome Diplomatic Conference where they codified women's rights into the ICC statue, advocating that there be quota for the number of women judges on the bench and the use of "gender" instead of "sex" in the ICC provisions of the Rome Statue. After the establishment of the ICC, Pillay became one of the first judges to ever serve on the court.
Pillay was nominated to serve on the International Criminal Court's Appeal Chambers by the Assembly of State Parties to the Rome Statute on 7 February 2003. She was elected to a six-year term but resigned in July 2008, effective 31 August 2008, in order to take up her position with the UN.
One of the first cases to appear in the International Criminal Court was The Prosecutor v Thomas Lubanga Dyilo for enlisting children under 15 years old to the armed militias inciting violence between the Hema and Lendu ethnic groups in the Ituri, north-eastern region of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. While Dyilo was convicted for his war crimes in 2012, Pillay served on the appeals chamber during the pre-trial phase of the case from 2006 to the end of her term in 2008.
High Commissioner for Human Rights
On 24 July 2008, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon nominated Pillay to succeed Louise Arbour as High Commissioner for Human Rights. The United States reportedly resisted her appointment at first, because of her views on abortion and other issues, but eventually dropped its opposition. At a special meeting on 28 July 2008, the UN General Assembly confirmed the nomination by consensus. Her four-year term began on 1 September 2008. Pillay says the High Commissioner is "the voice of the victim everywhere." In 2012, she was given a two-year second term. She also signed a document "BORN FREE AND EQUAL", a document on sexual orientation and gender identity in international human rights law as High Commissioner.
Pillay expressed concern about pressure being placed on private companies to enact a financial blockade against WikiLeaks in 2010. She said such action was a violation of WikiLeaks' right to freedom of expression.
Pillay voiced support for a gay rights resolution in the UNHRC, which was approved in 2011. At a news conference in July 2014, she referred to Edward Snowden as a "human rights defender" and said, "I am raising right here some very important arguments that could be raised on his behalf so that these criminal proceedings are averted." In August 2014, she criticized the international community over its "paralysis" in dealing with the more than three-year old Syrian Civil War, which by 30 April 2014 had resulted in 191,369 deaths.
International Court of Justice
The composition of the bench of the International Court of Justice varies from case to case, and will choose a judge ad hoc to serve on the bench if there are no judges representing one or both of the regions the parties are from. For Pillay, the party of Gambia elected her as the judge to represent their region and has been serving on the bench since 2019.
Pillay has been serving as a judge ad hoc on The Gambia v Myanmar since 2019 for crimes of genocide. The case brought by Gambia against Myanmar for violating the Genocide Convention against the ethnic group Rohingya. Despite pushback from Myanmar, the court approved Gambia's case as admissible in court and continues to hold hearings. The case is notable in that it involves another country suing another for war crimes in another jurisdiction, which has created a lot of pushback in the international community regarding the ICJ's jurisdiction.
Awards
In 2003, Pillay received the inaugural Gruber Prize for Women's Rights.
She has been awarded honorary degrees by
- Durban University of Technology - based in her hometown of Durban, South Africa
- Durham University, England
- City University of New York School of Law, USA
- London School of Economics, Rhodes University, South Africa
- Catholic University of Leuven, Belgium
- Erasmus University Rotterdam, Netherlands
In 2009, Forbes ranked her as the 64th most powerful woman in the world.
In 2009, she received the Golden Plate Award of the American Academy of Achievement presented by Awards Council member Archbishop Desmond Tutu at an awards ceremony at St. George's Cathedral in Cape Town, South Africa.
Controversies
Sri Lanka
Her criticism of the Sri Lankan government being an authoritarian state, in alleging human rights violations and atrocities committed by them against Tamil civilians at the end of the Sri Lankan civil war, has led the government and its supporters to apportion her own Tamil descent as the only reason for her criticism, a claim she strongly denies.
Canada
In a speech on 8 June 2012, Pillay blacklisted the provincial government of Quebec in Canada for human rights violations concerning the rights to peaceful protest and free expression for its student protesters, specifically in Canada. The bill in question, Bill 78, required that protest groups over 50 must gain approval from authorities at least 8 hours before the planned start of the protest. The reaction from human rights NGOs was mixed. Quebec official sources criticized Pillay for comparing Quebec with areas known to have worse records.
Zimbabwe
Pillay's call in 2012 for the suspension of sanctions against the Robert Mugabe regime in Zimbabwe was criticized by civil society groups in the country, which accused the Zimbabwean government of manipulating Pillay into overlooking the human rights violations committed by the government.
Israel-Gaza conflict
Her contribution to the 2001 Durban Conference on racism, the Goldstone report, and her steering of the UN Human Rights Council have been criticized as unjust by The Jerusalem Post. Pillay's claim that Israel was engaged in the "apparent targeting of …children playing", on 23 July 2014, a charge previously denied by IDF spokesmen, has been described by Anne Bayefsky as "incitement to hate". After reviewing the heavy US contribution to the Iron Dome program, Pillay called for better defense for Gaza, stating that "no such protection has been provided to Gazans against the shelling". TheTablet magazine described this statement as a "hilariously delicious absurdity". On 25 July 2014, the United States Congress published a letter addressed to Pillay by over 100 members in which the signatories asserted that the Human Rights Council "cannot be taken seriously as a human rights organisation" over their handling of the 2014 Israel–Gaza conflict. In July 2022 Pillay defended Miloon Kothari, a member of the Permanent United Nations Fact Finding Mission on the Israel Palestine conflict who questioned Israel's right to be a UN member state and alluded to a "Jewish lobby controlling social media," which prompted condemnation by Israel, Britain and United States. Pillay claimed that Kothari's comments were taken out of context.
Pillay is now chair of the UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory, created after the Israel-Gaza clashes of 2021. The U.S. and Europe have been vocal about their disapproval of the establishment of the commission because it has no formal end date, to which she has responded that "the occupation does not have end date either and you tend to support that occupation". Pillay has also claimed that war crimes are being committed both by Hamas and Israel in the wake of the terrorist 7 October attacks in 2023. She has additionally denounced Israel's retribution for disproportionately targeting children and has been hesitant to call Israel's actions self-defense. In response, many critics from prominent news sources such as the Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs have called her comments anti-semitic.
See also
References
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- People from Durban
- South African people of Tamil descent
- South African people of Indian descent
- International Criminal Court judges
- South African women's rights activists
- Harvard Law School alumni
- Presidents of the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda
- United Nations High Commissioners for Human Rights
- 1941 births
- Living people
- South African women judges
- Under-Secretaries-General of the United Nations
- South African judges of United Nations courts and tribunals
- South African judges of international courts and tribunals
- Commanders Crosses of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany