On Wednesday 20 November, global education advocate Malala Yousafzai was awarded the Sakharov Prize by the European Parliament, in a ceremony which took place in Strasbourg, France.
Malala dedicated her acceptance speech to the “unsung heroes of Pakistan” and to human rights campaigners globally, saying “I am hopeful the European Parliament will look beyond Europe to the suffering countries where people are still deprived of their basic rights, their freedom of thought is suppressed, freedom of speech is enchained”.
The Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought, named after Soviet scientist and dissident Andrei Sakharov, was established in December 1988 by the European Parliament to honour individuals or organizations who dedicate their lives to the defence of human rights and freedoms, particularly the right to free expression. The prize is also considered Europe’s Top Human Rights Award.