Two young Yazidi women have picked up this year’s Sakharov Prize.
Two young Yazidi women have picked up this year’s Sakharov Prize.
Nadia Murad and Lamiya Aji Bashar received the award for Freedom of Thought at the European Parliament in Strasbourg.
They both escaped sexual enslavement by the so-called Islamic State and now campaign for women’s rights worldwide.
“If the world is unable to protect us in our land, I invite you to open its doors to us to provide refuge to half a million Yazidi from Iraq, through an organized mass migration similar to what happened following the Holocaust. So we can’t remain the fuel of genocide and slavery. It must also be an accountability system to hold those who committed those crime accountable at the local and international level,” said Murad from Strasbourg.
Previous winners include Nelson Mandela and former UN Secretary General Kofi Annan.
Last year, Rafi Badawi, a jailed Saudi blogger, was honoured by MEPs.