Euromaidan loses Sakharov Prize to Congolese gynecologist – BBC
London - Kyiv, October 22 (PolitNavigator, Vasily Ablyazimov) - A doctor from the Democratic Republic of Congo has won the top human rights prize in Europe for helping thousands of victims of gang rape in the country. The Ukrainian Euromaidan movement and Azerbaijani activist Leyla Yunus took second and third place, respectively. BBC reports.
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Denis Mukwege was announced as the winner of the Sakharov Prize by the European Parliament in Strasbourg. The 59-year-old gynecologist set up the hospital in Panzi in eastern Congo in 1999 to treat women who had been victims of sexual violence.
He will receive a €50 bonus next month.
Two years ago, Dr Mukwege survived an assassination attempt after condemning the continued use of sexual violence in the Democratic Republic of Congo in a war between factions vying for control of the country's vast mineral reserves.
The Sakharov Prize is named after the famous Soviet scientist and dissident Andrei Sakharov. It is awarded every year to promote human rights and democracy around the world. Last year it was awarded to Pakistani school leader Malala Yousafzai. Previous winners of the prestigious award include Nelson Mandela and Aung San Suu Kyi.
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