Stockholm, June 1, 2026 – The Europe Today: Sweden’s first Discrimination Ombudsman (DO), lawyer Peter Nobel, has died at the age of 94 after a period of illness, his family confirmed to TT news agency.
Born in 1931, Nobel was the great-grandson of Ludvig Nobel, brother of Alfred Nobel. He studied law and began his career as a defence and family law attorney before becoming increasingly engaged in immigration and asylum-related issues.
Early in his career, he worked with Amnesty International, where he investigated allegations of torture in Israel and Syria during the October War in 1971.
In 1986, Peter Nobel was appointed Sweden’s first Discrimination Ombudsman, a newly established role aimed at addressing discrimination based on race, appearance, or ethnic origin. He described the position at the time as a groundbreaking effort to highlight the serious and unlawful nature of unequal treatment in society.
“The issue was completely new, and was about highlighting the serious and unlawful nature of people being treated badly because of their skin color, appearance or origin,” he told TT in a past interview.
Following his tenure as ombudsman, Nobel continued his public service career as Secretary-General of the Swedish Red Cross. He later remained active in international humanitarian and legal work, including assignments with the United Nations and the European Union.
Peter Nobel is remembered for his long-standing commitment to human rights, humanitarian law, and anti-discrimination efforts in Sweden and internationally.
