OSLO, Norway (AP) — Malala
Yousafzai of Pakistan and Kailash Satyarthi of India on Wednesday
received the Nobel Peace Prize for risking their lives to fight for
children's rights.
The
17-year-old Malala, the youngest ever Nobel winner, and Satyarthi, age
60, collected the award at a ceremony in the Norwegian capital to a
standing ovation.
Saying that
all children have a right to childhood and education instead of forced
labor, Nobel committee chairman Thorbjorn Jagland said "this world
conscience can find no better expression" than through this year's
winners.
In his speech to the gathering, Jagland related how
Malala was shot by Taliban gunmen two years ago and said Islamic
extremist groups dislike knowledge because it is a condition for
freedom.
"Attendance at school, especially by girls, deprives such forces from power," he said.
He
mentioned Satyarthi's vision of ending child labor and how he abandoned
a career as an electrical engineer in 1980 to fight for that vision.
By
honoring this year's winners, the Norwegian Nobel Committee linked the
peace award to conflicts between world religions and neighboring nuclear
powers as well as drawing attention to children's rights.
The
other awards — in medicine, physics, chemistry and literature — are set
to be presented in Stockholm later Wednesday. The ceremonies are
always held on Dec. 10, the anniversary of prize founder Alfred Nobel's
death in 1896.
Malala, Satyarthi receive Nobel Peace Prize |
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