Which Nobel Peace Prize laureates were later accused of wrongdoing or failing to uphold peace, and what were the consequences?
Executive summary
The Nobel Peace Prize has a long history of laureates later accused of wrongdoing or of failing to uphold peace, producing controversies ranging from resignations and reputational damage to public calls for revocation—despite the Nobel institutions’ position that prizes cannot be revoked or transferred [1] [2]. This survey identifies the most prominent cases documented in contemporary reporting and summarizes the consequences that followed, noting where the record is contested or limited by available sources [3] [4].
1. Aung San Suu Kyi — from icon of non‑violence to accused of complicity
Once celebrated for “non‑violent struggle for democracy and human rights,” Aung San Suu Kyi’s international standing collapsed amid accusations that she failed to prevent or actively defended the military’s campaign against the Rohingya, prompting widespread condemnation and debate about whether her Nobel laureateship should be meaningful in light of those events [5] [6]. The consequences were largely reputational and diplomatic: intense criticism from human‑rights groups and commentators and calls for the Nobel Committee to reckon with the dissonance between her award citation and later conduct—although the Committee has historically resisted revoking prizes [6] [4].
2. Yasser Arafat — prize for Oslo, rebuke at home and abroad
Yasser Arafat’s shared 1994 Peace Prize with Yitzhak Rabin and Shimon Peres for the Oslo process engendered sharp criticism because many felt the award did not halt violence and because Arafat’s past and tactics made him a polarizing figure; a Norwegian politician even resigned from the Nobel Committee in protest, calling Arafat “unworthy,” and commentators later labeled him one of the most controversial recipients [3] [7] [1]. The immediate consequence was internal protest within Norway’s awarding body and long‑term debate about whether the prize strengthened or undermined Oslo’s fragile peace—an evaluative outcome the Nobel Institute and critics continue to dispute [7] [4].
3. Le Duc Tho — refusal on principle and resumed war
Le Duc Tho accepted the 1973 award jointly with Henry Kissinger on the basis of the Paris accords but refused to accept the prize, explicitly arguing that “peace has not yet been established,” a position underlined by the resumption of large‑scale hostilities months later; his refusal and the war’s continuation became a central example of a laureate being judged premature or inappropriate [3] [8]. The concrete consequence was symbolic: denial of the prize’s imprimatur by one intended recipient and a reputational reminder that awarding the prize during ongoing conflicts can be deeply contested [3] [8].
4. Institutions: UN peacekeepers, the UN, and the Red Cross — honored yet criticized
Several institutional laureates have faced allegations inconsistent with the peace ideal: UN peacekeeping forces (1988 laureates) were later accused of sexual abuse and exploitation in conflict zones, and the UN as an institution has been frequently criticized for failures to prevent atrocities despite the 2001 prize for the organisation and its secretary‑general [1]. These accusations have led to investigations, policy reforms in some quarters, and persistent critiques of international organisations’ capacity to live up to a prize citation—outcomes that mix accountability efforts with lingering reputational harm [1] [9].
5. Other high‑profile controversies: Menchú, Obama, and post‑award gestures
Rigoberta Menchú’s 1992 award was clouded by revelations that parts of her memoir were not strictly factual, producing debate about the evidentiary standards for laureates [3]. The 2009 award to Barack Obama drew criticism from some quarters that it was premature and later prompted self‑critique within Nobel circles, with the former director saying the committee misjudged its impact—a reputational lesson about expectation management [3] [7]. More recently, María Corina Machado’s 2025 medal being handed to US President Donald Trump sparked Norwegian condemnation and a reminder from Nobel officials that while a physical medal can change hands, the laureate title and the Committee’s decisions cannot be revoked or transferred [10] [2] [11].
6. Patterns, limits and institutional constraints
Across these cases the common consequences are reputational damage, public controversy, internal protests within the Nobel apparatus, and in some cases policy reviews or legal investigations of associated institutions—but not formal revocation of prizes, since Nobel bodies assert they cannot rescind awards once made [2] [4]. Reporting shows disagreement about whether the prize was premature, politically motivated, or simply misaligned with subsequent events; sources document the controversies but do not provide a comprehensive legal mechanism for revocation, nor do they settle retrospective moral judgments, leaving room for ongoing debate [3] [4].