Brussels: A Pakistani teenage activist shot in the head by the Taliban last year for campaigning for better rights for girls, won the European Union's annual human rights award on Thursday, beating fugitive U.S. intelligence analyst Edward Snowden.
Malala Yousafzai, 16, who was attacked in northwestern Pakistan by a group of gunmen who fired on her school bus, is also a favourite among experts and betting agencies to be awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.
The Sakharov Prize for freedom of thought is given by the European Parliament each year since 1988 to commemorate Soviet scientist and dissident Andrei Sakharov. Its past winners include Nelson Mandela and Burmese activist Aung San Suu Kyi.
Snowden had been nominated by the Green group in the parliament for what it said was his "enormous service" to human rights and European citizens when he disclosed secret U.S. surveillance programmes.
Yousafzai was chosen as the winner after a vote among the heads of all the political groups in the 750-member parliament.
Malala Yousafzai, 16, who was attacked in northwestern Pakistan by a group of gunmen who fired on her school bus, is also a favourite among experts and betting agencies to be awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.
The Sakharov Prize for freedom of thought is given by the European Parliament each year since 1988 to commemorate Soviet scientist and dissident Andrei Sakharov. Its past winners include Nelson Mandela and Burmese activist Aung San Suu Kyi.
Yousafzai was chosen as the winner after a vote among the heads of all the political groups in the 750-member parliament.
© Thomson Reuters 2013
Advertisement
COMMENTS
Advertisement
International Malala Day 2024: Date, History And Significance Of This Day "Another Talibani Video Emerges In Bengal": BJP Questions Rahul Gandhi's Silence Vladimir Putin Says Taliban Russia's "Allies" In Fighting Terrorism Under-Fire Trainee IAS Officer Accuses Pune Collector Of Harassment Trainee IAS Officer Puja Khedkar Recalled To Academy, Training Put On Hold What Trump Rally Shooter Did On Last Day Of His Life What Are The Affordable Destinations To Study Abroad Indian Killed In Oman Attack Near Shiite Mosque 2 More Children Die Of Suspected Chandipura Virus In Gujarat Track Latest News Live on NDTV.com and get news updates from India and around the world.