Oslo, December 11 (RHC)-- This year’s Nobel Peace Prize has been awarded to Dr. Denis Mukwege and Nadia Murad.  

Dr. Mukwege founded the Panzi Hospital in the Democratic Republic of Congo, which treats women requiring surgery as a result of sexual violence.  Nadia Murad is a Yazidi Kurdish human rights activist from Iraq.  She was kidnapped by the Islamic State and repeatedly raped. 

Nadia Murad, when accepting her award, said: “Today is a special day for me. It is the day when good has triumphed over evil, the day when humanity defeated terrorism, the day that the children and women who have suffered persecution have triumphed over the perpetrators of these crimes.  I hope that today marks the beginning of a new era, when peace is the priority and the world can collectively begin to define a new road map to protect women, children and minorities from persecution, in particular victims of sexual violence.”