Europe’s top human rights award, the Sakharov prize to two Yazidi women who have escaped the sexual enslavement from the so-called Islamic State (IS) in Iraq. Nadia Murad Basee and Lamiya Aji Bashar were among the thousands of Yazidi girls and women abducted by the IS militants and forced into sexual slavery in 2014. Both have survived and now is campaigning in the Yazidi community.
Guy Verhofstadt, who leads the liberal ALDE group in the European Parliament, has described the winners as “inspirational women who have shown incredible bravery and humanity in the face of despicable brutality”. “I am proud that they have been awarded the 2016 Sakharov Prize,” he added.
Ms Murad was abducted from her home in the village of Kocho, near Sinjar and was taken to Mosul, where she was tortured and raped. She later managed to flee, but she lost her six brothers and her mother in the Sinjar assault.
Ms Bashar, also from Kocho, attempted to flee her captors several times during her 20 months of captivity before she finally succeeded. She was just 16 when she was abducted.
After her escape, Ms Murad has become a prominent advocate in highlighting the plight of the Yazidis in the region.
Other finalists for the Sakharov prize included the Crimean Tatars and a former Turkish newspaper editor.
By Premji
