Sakharov Prize 2013: EPP Group nominates Malala Yousafzai

The EPP Group has nominated the Pakistani schoolgirl Malala Yousafzai for the 2013 Sakharov Prize which honours exceptional individuals who combat intolerance, fanaticism and oppression.

“Malala Yousafzai, the young schoolgirl from Pakistan, has inspired us and reminded us of the courage it takes to defend human rights and freedom of expression. With her anonymous diary, which captivated audiences, of the struggle for girls' education at a time when the Taliban controlled her village, Swat, and later on with her incredible recovery from her attack by a Taliban gunman, she has brought the issue of universal education to greater global attention”, said José Ignacio Salafranca Sánchez-Neyra MEP, the EPP Group’s Spokesman on Foreign Affairs, who proposed her nomination.

“Malala has become an inspiration for many of her contemporaries and her message highlights the challenges millions of them face. She has become a global voice for the education and empowerment of girls and women in the world. Our challenge is to keep up the momentum and to make a real change”, concluded Mr Salafranca.

Malala Yousafzai first came to public attention in 2009 with her anonymous blogs about life under the Taliban. Three years later, in October 2012, she was shot in the head by a Taliban gunman because of her campaign for girls' education. She survived and underwent a series of delicate surgery. She was already well known in Pakistan, but that one shocking act catapulted her to international fame.

Malala has been credited with bringing the issue of women's education to global attention. A quarter of young women around the world have not completed primary school.