Pakistani teenage activist Malala Yousafzai was on Thursday honoured with European Parliament’s top Sakharov human rights award in recognition of her courageous fight for girls’ education which angered the Taliban who attempted to assassinate her last year.
“The European Parliament acknowledges the incredible strength of this young woman,” said Martin Schulz, the president of the EU legislature. “Malala bravely stands for the right of all children to be granted a fair education. This right for girls is far too commonly neglected.” World Bank President Jim Yong Kim on Thursday called Malala Yousafzai, who survived an assassination attempt for her campaign for girls’ schooling, a symbol of hope and courage for the world’s children.
The Sakharov Prize for free speech is awarded by the European Parliament annually in memory of Soviet physicist and dissident Andrei Sakharov. “Today, we decided to let the world know that our hope for a better future stands in young people like Malala Yousafzai,” said the chairman of the conservative European People’s Party (EPP), Joseph Daul.
The Pakistani Taliban on Thursday said teenage activist Malala Yousafzai had done “nothing” to deserve a prestigious EU rights award and vowed to try again to kill her.