Sticking to the belief in legal justice and morality as universal values for peacekeeping - Nobel laureate Pillay

[London Current Affairs] Navi Pillay (85), who has been selected to receive the Nobel Peace Prize, has held positions such as the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights and a judge at the International Criminal Court (ICC), and has maintained a stance of defending justice and morality under international law. He has dedicated his life to upholding the universal values ​​of respecting the law in order to maintain peace.

Mr. Pillay, who was born in South Africa during the apartheid (racial segregation) regime, worked hard to protect human rights as a lawyer. Although he spoke calmly, his words were full of power when he appealed for his belief in protecting justice.

On the 9th, Chairman Friedness of the Nobel Prize Committee expressed his concern at the current situation at a press conference announcing the winners, saying, ``The international legal system is under great pressure and the system is under attack.'' Pillay praised Pillay for upholding the framework of international law and contributing to peacekeeping at a time when the rule of law has been shaken, with the Trump administration imposing sanctions on ICC Director Tomoko Akane and others.

From 2008 to 2014, when he served as High Commissioner for Human Rights, the head of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) in Geneva, there were many incidents of fighting and serious human rights violations in various regions, including conflicts in the Middle East. I was deeply saddened by the civil war in Syria in which many civilians, including children, were killed. He lamented that he was "astonished" at the lack of attention from the international community due to the protracted fighting, and warned against the international community's indifference.

In 2014, a Malaysian Airlines flight was shot down by an armed group believed to be pro-Russian in eastern Ukraine, resulting in numerous casualties, and he stressed that ``anyone who violates international law, including war crimes, must be brought to justice.'' He appealed for justice for humanity.