14 DAY TRIAL // Pakistani teen Malala Yousafzai has been awarded the Sakharov Prize, a prestigious prize granted by the European Parliament each year.
The award celebrates those protecting human rights and the freedom of expression. According to RFE/RL, 16-year-old Malala has been awarded €50,000 ($65,000) as part of her prize.
Other recipients of the prize include NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden, former South African President Nelson Mandela and ex UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan.
Malala was shot by the Taliban after blogging about them banning girls from going to school in her village.
She has also been nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize, which will be granted on October 11. Martin Schulz, the president of the EU legislature, has commended Malala after giving her the prize on October 10.
"Malala is a young girl and you all know her story. [She] is a young girl, a young adult, from the violence-filled Swat Valley in Pakistan; who showed incredible courage against an enemy in a male-dominated, violent environment.
"Who had the courage to say 'I am going to school. I will insist on my right to a [normal] childhood. I am, as a girl, an equal member of this society,'" Schulz praises her.
The blogger has been nominated by several members of the European parliament, including British deputy Graham Watson.
"I nominated Malala Yousafzai because I believe she represents something that so many strive for, which is a girl claiming her right to be educated.
"We need far more people like Malala standing up and insisting that women have a right to be educated in societies where it is often denied," Watson has stated.
The girl has recovered after being shot one year ago, in October 2012. She was transported to Britain for surgery and she is currently attending school in Birmingham.