EU parliament conservatives, liberals nominate Pakistan's malala for human

The conservative European Peoples' Party (EPP) in the European Parliament Thursday 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," said the EPP Group's Spokesman on Foreign Affairs Jose Ignacio Salafranca in a statement. Malala Yousafzai is a young Pakistani school girl who was shot in the head and neck in an assassination attempt by Taliban gunmen while returning home on a school bus in October 2012. Since the attempt on her life, and medical treatment in the UK, she has captured the attention of the world in her fight for access to education for young girls. The Liberals Group, ALDE, in the EP has also nominated Malala for the EP's Sakharov Prize 2013. ALDE President Guy Verhofstadt in a statement expressed confident that this nomination will receive widespread support in the European Parliament. "It takes courage to stand up for your rights. It takes exceptional qualities to do that on behalf of others and in defiance of the Taliban. Malala Yousafzai is the beacon of hope for Pakistan, for the region, for all those underprivileged and oppressed," said Verhofstadt, a former Belgian Prime Minister, in a statement. The EPP is the biggest political group in the EP and ALDE the third. Green and left-wing EU lawmakers on Wednesday nominated US whistle blower Edward Snowden for the Sakharov prize. The EP's Sakharov Prize, named after the late Russian physicist, will be decided upon in October following a shortlist drawn up by the Foreign Affairs Committee and will be awarded during an official ceremony in early December. It is a special annual award for achievement in the field of human rights and democracy. Past winners of the 50,000 euro prize include South African leader Nelson Mandela, former UN secretary general Kofi Annan and activists of the Arab Spring.