STRASBOURG: Pakistan’s Malala Yousafzai, the teenage activist nominated for this year’s Nobel Peace Prize, won the EU’s Sakharov human rights prize yesterday, drawing a fresh threat of murder by the Taliban.
Announcing the prize, European Parliament President Martin Schulz said, “Malala bravely stands for the right of all children to be granted a fair education. This right for girls is far too commonly neglected.”
The parliament’s vote for Malala from a shortlist of three nominees “acknowledges the incredible strength of this young woman,” he added.
Malala and Congolese gynaecologist Denis Mukwege dedicated to helping rape victims are the two most-hyped figures among pundits ahead of today’s Nobel Peace Prize announcement.
Some experts have suggested the honour will go to Malala, who defied the Taliban extremists who shot her in the head by surviving and continuing her campaign on the global stage.
Giving the prize to Malala would “carry some very, very important messages,” said the head of the Peace Research Institute of Oslo, Kristian Berg Harpviken. Agencies
