Taliban threat after teenage activist Malala Yousafzai wins Sakharov prize
Pakistan's Malala Yousafzai, the teenage activist nominated for this year's Nobel Peace Prize, won the EU's prestigious Sakharov human rights prize, drawing a fresh threat of murder by the Taliban.
Pakistan's Malala Yousafzai, the teenage activist nominated for this year's Nobel Peace Prize, won the EU's prestigious Sakharov human rights prize yesterday, drawing a fresh threat of murder by the Taliban.
To thunderous applause announcing the European Parliament prize, the assembly's 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 that also included three jailed Belarussian dissidents and US intelligence leaker Edward Snowden "acknowledges the incredible strength of this young woman", Schulz added.
The 16-year-old has become an emblem of the fight against the most radical forms of Islamism. She was shot in the head by the Pakistani Taliban on October 9 last year for speaking out against them and has gone on to become a global ambassador for the right of all children to go to school.
In Pakistan, the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) immediately vowed a fresh attempt on her life "even in America or the UK".
"She has done nothing," TTP spokesman Shahidullah Shahid said. "She is getting awards because she is working against Islam."
