17 September 2013 Current Affairs
Snowden Nominated For EU Human Rights Prize
American Edward Snowden, the National Security Agency leaker who is currently in asylum in Russia, has been selected as one of seven nominees for the European Parliament’s “ 2013 Sakharov Prize “” for Freedom of Thought for his “enormous service” in disclosing the United States’ surveillance program.Past winners include Nelson Mandela, Aung San Suu Kyi, and Mothers of the Plaza de Mayo.Edward Joseph is an American computer specialist and a former CIA and NSA employee who has leaked details of several top-secret United States and British government mass surveillance programs to the press.
Malala Yousafzai Received ‘Amnesty ‘ International Award
Pakistani education rights activist, Malala Yousafzai has been named as the recipient of 2013 Amnesty International’s highest award.Malala received Amnesty International’s Ambassador of Conscience Award along with American singer and human rights activist Harry Belafonte at ceremony on 17 September in Dublin, Ireland.The Ambassador of Conscience Award is the human rights group’s highest honour, recognizing individuals who have promoted and enhanced the cause of human rights through their life and by example.She made her first public appearance on 12 July 2013, her 16th birthday, when she delivered a speech at the United Nations General Assembly in New York.