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The European Parliament has awarded the EU's top human rights award, the Sakharov prize, to Malala Yousafzai, the young Pakistani girl who survived a Taliban assassination attempt last year for supporting girls' education.
The 50,000 euro (AU$71,692) Sakharov Award is considered Europe's top rights award. Previous winners include Nobel Peace Prize laureates Aung San Suu Kyi and Nelson Mandela.
US intelligence leaker Edward Snowden and a group of imprisoned Belarus dissidents were also in the running this year.
The 16-year-old schoolgirl also appeared on the Daily Show with Jon Stewart in the US this week, and left the host speechless with her candour.
Asked about threats made on her life by the Taliban, Malala said she used to think her initial reaction would be to hit a would-be assailant with her shoe.
"But then I said 'If you hit a Talib with your shoe, then there would be no difference between you and the Talib. You must not treat others with cruelty and that much harshly, you must fight others but through peace and through dialogue and through education,'" she said.
"Then I said I will tell him how important education is and that 'I even want education for your children as well,' and I will tell him, 'that's what I want to tell you, now do what you want.'
Malala Yousafzai has also been considered as a possible recipient of the 2013 Nobel Peace Prize, which is announced in Sweden on Friday.
The European Parliament has awarded the EU's top human rights award, the Sakharov prize, to Malala Yousafzai, the young Pakistani girl who survived a Taliban assassination attempt last year for supporting girls' education.
The 50,000 euro (AU$71,692) Sakharov Award is considered Europe's top rights award. Previous winners include Nobel Peace Prize laureates Aung San Suu Kyi and Nelson Mandela.
US intelligence leaker Edward Snowden and a group of imprisoned Belarus dissidents were also in the running this year.
The 16-year-old schoolgirl also appeared on the Daily Show with Jon Stewart in the US this week, and left the host speechless with her candour.
Asked about threats made on her life by the Taliban, Malala said she used to think her initial reaction would be to hit a would-be assailant with her shoe.
"But then I said 'If you hit a Talib with your shoe, then there would be no difference between you and the Talib. You must not treat others with cruelty and that much harshly, you must fight others but through peace and through dialogue and through education,'" she said.
"Then I said I will tell him how important education is and that 'I even want education for your children as well,' and I will tell him, 'that's what I want to tell you, now do what you want.'
Malala Yousafzai has also been considered as a possible recipient of the 2013 Nobel Peace Prize, which is announced in Sweden on Friday.
