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| Denis Mukwege, Congolese Gynecologist, Is Awarded Sakharov Prize | Denis Mukwege, Congolese Gynecologist, Is Awarded Sakharov Prize |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| The European Parliament has awarded its highest human rights accolade, the Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought, to Denis Mukwege, a Congolese gynecological surgeon who has treated thousands of women and risked his life in a campaign to end the use of mass rape as a weapon of war. | |
| The $65,000 award was established in 1988 in honor of the Soviet dissident Andrei Sakharov. Previous winners include Nelson Mandela; Kofi Annan, the former United Nations secretary general; and Malala Yousafzai, one of the recipients of this year’s Nobel Peace Prize, for which Dr. Mukwege was a front-runner. | |
| Martin Schulz, the president of the European Parliament, said in a statement on Tuesday that Dr. Mukwege was chosen “for his fight for protection especially of women.” The Congolese physician will be invited to Strasbourg, France, to receive the award on Nov. 26, the statement said. | Martin Schulz, the president of the European Parliament, said in a statement on Tuesday that Dr. Mukwege was chosen “for his fight for protection especially of women.” The Congolese physician will be invited to Strasbourg, France, to receive the award on Nov. 26, the statement said. |
| “In many armed conflicts around the world, rape is used as a weapon of war,” the statement said. Dr. Mukwege “decided to help victims in his country” by founding the Panzi Hospital in Bukavu, Democratic Republic of Congo, in 1998, and “he still treats victims of sexual violence who have sustained serious injuries.” | |
| While the war in Congo might be formally over, the citation said, “the armed conflict still continues in the eastern part of the country and so do attacks against civilians, including gang rapes.” | While the war in Congo might be formally over, the citation said, “the armed conflict still continues in the eastern part of the country and so do attacks against civilians, including gang rapes.” |
| The statement acknowledged other contenders for prize, mentioning pro-Western Ukrainian campaigners who took to the streets of Kiev last year in an uprising demanding closer ties to the European Union, and Leyla Yunus, a prominent human rights campaigner in Azerbaijan. | The statement acknowledged other contenders for prize, mentioning pro-Western Ukrainian campaigners who took to the streets of Kiev last year in an uprising demanding closer ties to the European Union, and Leyla Yunus, a prominent human rights campaigner in Azerbaijan. |
| Dr. Mukwege is known for his work in one of the most traumatized places in the world. In the hills above Bukavu, where for years there was little electricity or anesthetic, Dr. Mukwege has performed surgery on countless women, some a few steps away from death, who have reached his hospital. | |
| At the same time, he has campaigned relentlessly to shine a spotlight on the plight of Congolese women, even after an assassination attempt two years ago. | At the same time, he has campaigned relentlessly to shine a spotlight on the plight of Congolese women, even after an assassination attempt two years ago. |
| “It’s not a women question; it’s a humanity question, and men have to take responsibility to end it,” Dr. Mukwege said in an interview last year. “It’s not an Africa problem. In Bosnia, Syria, Liberia, Colombia, you have the same thing.” | “It’s not a women question; it’s a humanity question, and men have to take responsibility to end it,” Dr. Mukwege said in an interview last year. “It’s not an Africa problem. In Bosnia, Syria, Liberia, Colombia, you have the same thing.” |
| In 2012, Dr. Mukwege delivered a fiery speech at the United Nations, upbraiding the Congolese government and other nations for not doing enough to stop what he called “an unjust war that has used violence against women and rape as a strategy of war.” | In 2012, Dr. Mukwege delivered a fiery speech at the United Nations, upbraiding the Congolese government and other nations for not doing enough to stop what he called “an unjust war that has used violence against women and rape as a strategy of war.” |
| Shortly after the speech, he returned to Congo, and four armed men crept into his compound in Bukavu. They took his children hostage and waited for him to return from work. In the hail of bullets that followed, his guard was killed, but Dr. Mukwege threw himself on the ground and somehow survived. | Shortly after the speech, he returned to Congo, and four armed men crept into his compound in Bukavu. They took his children hostage and waited for him to return from work. In the hail of bullets that followed, his guard was killed, but Dr. Mukwege threw himself on the ground and somehow survived. |
| He spent more than two months in exile recuperating but then decided that in spite of the risk he had to return. | He spent more than two months in exile recuperating but then decided that in spite of the risk he had to return. |
| “To treat women for the first time, second time and now I’m treating the children born after rape,” Dr. Mukwege said. “This is not acceptable." | “To treat women for the first time, second time and now I’m treating the children born after rape,” Dr. Mukwege said. “This is not acceptable." |