South African Nobel Peace Prize winner, Navi Pillay, has reiterated her call for the defence of international law.
At the age of 85, the former judge on the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda and other similar bodies, has spent her life fighting for the peace and justice.
In an exclusive interview with news agency, Associated Press, she spoke about the hearing the news of her win last week.
At the time, she was attending a conference on international law and human rights in the German town of Nuremberg.
It took place at the historic International Nuremberg Principles Academy in Courtroom 600 where the post-World War II Nuremburg trials took place.
"The director of the Nuremberg Principals Academy, he tiptoed into the room and called me out. And then I could see his face. There's something wrong, he's almost full of tears,” she said.
Pillay said at first, she was fearful that something had happened to one of her two grown up daughters.
“So I went icy cold with fear, and then he says, I have good news for you. And I said, Why didn't you tell me that in the first place,” she said.
“I feel it's the most appropriate award, and people have said very kindly of course, the most appropriate candidate to receive it.”
Pillay called on people to stand together in the defence of the rule of law, independent courts, and an international legal order based on principle.
“I value the focus of the selection committee on this important area, because it does affect the whole world if the rule of law is not respected,” she said.
She dedicated her award to “survivors of international crime, as well as to practitioners and defenders of international justice".
Pillay was honoured for her lifelong commitment to human rights, justice, and accountability.
She’s undertaken much high-profile work, including investigating allegations of genocide in Rwanda, Myanmar, and Gaza.
"You know that I delivered the first judgment on genocide on the Rwanda tribunal together with my two colleagues,” she said.
“It's actually very careful scrutiny of the acts on the ground, the speeches made by leaders, political and military leaders, and various activities. The goal of the genocide convention is prevention, so were steps taken to prevent."
Pillay said she hopes her win will remind world leaders of their legal obligation to uphold human rights.
Her award is seen as a high-profile rebuke to US President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who have both rejected the findings of the UN commission she led on Gaza.
They have also been highly critical of the International Court of Justice and the International Criminal Court, both of which have had Pillay on the bench.
Just hours after she was awarded the prize, the US announced sweeping new sanctions on the International Criminal Court as part of Washington’s campaign to dismantle the institution.
The octogenarian called on countries to defend the court and the international legal order more broadly, saying she would like to see “collective action, not just words” from the rest of the world.