UPDATE 1 -- Liberian President Johnson Sirleaf, activists awarded Nobel Peace Prize

[News_Editor]

UPDATE 1 -- Liberian President Johnson Sirleaf, activists awarded Nobel Peace Prize

2011-10-07 19:07:07 GMT+7 (ICT)

OSLO (BNO NEWS) -- Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf was among three women who were awarded the 2011 Nobel Peace Prize on Friday for their work to improve women's rights.

The announcement was made by Nobel Committee chairman Thorbjørn Jagland during a press conference in the Norwegian capital of Oslo. "The Norwegian Nobel Committee has decided that the Nobel Peace Prize for 2011 is to be divided in three equal parts between Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, Leymah Gbowee and Tawakkul Karman for their non-violent struggle for the safety of women and for women's rights to full participation in peace-building work," he said.

Johnson Sirleaf, 72, is Africa's first democratically elected female president. She was inaugurated in January 2006 and is currently running for re-election with elections to take place on Tuesday, making the timing of the Nobel Peace Prize controversial.

"We cannot achieve democracy and lasting peace in the world unless women obtain the same opportunities as men to influence developments at all levels of society," Jagland said. "Since her inauguration in 2006, she has contributed to securing peace in Liberia, to promoting economic and social development, and to strengthening the position of women."

Many agree that Liberia has made great process under Johnson Sirleaf's government, including in social development, infrastructure rehabilitation and growth-stimulating foreign direct investment, but especially at home she has faced a series of corruption scandals and claims of opponents alleging intimidation and attacks.

Nonetheless, Johnson Sirleaf's work has been praised around the world and - internationally, at least - she is arguably Africa's most admired public figure since anti-apartheid activist Nelson Mandela. "We are determined that Liberia will become America and the world's post-conflict success story," the president said in late June. "We are well on the way toward achieving that objective."

Johnson Sirleaf welcomed Friday's peace prize. "I'm accepting this on behalf of the Liberian people, so credit goes to them," she told CNN. "For the past eight years we have had peace and each and every one of them has contributed to this peace."

One Liberian government official welcomed the prize but said the timing was 'strange' due to the upcoming elections. Others said George Weah, a politician and football player who lost to Johnson Sirleaf in the 2005 elections and will again run against her in the upcoming elections, was more deserving of the prize.

The second winner of Friday's highly regarded award was Leymah Gbowee who organized women across the country to bring an end to the Second Liberian Civil War in 2003 and to ensure women's participation in elections. "She has since worked to enhance the influence of women in West Africa during and after war," Jagland said, referring to the war between 1993 and 2003 which left some 150,000 people killed.

The third winner was Yemeni activist Tawakkul Karman, 32, who has led a movement to improve women's rights in Yemen, where an uprising against President Ali Abdullah Saleh has claimed at least 1,500 lives since February.

"In the most trying circumstances, both before and during the 'Arab spring,' Tawakkul Karman has played a leading part in the struggle for women's rights and for democracy and peace in Yemen," Jagland said. He added that the Nobel Committee hopes the prize will help bring an end to the suppression of women.

The Norwegian Nobel Committee previously said it received valid nominations of 188 individuals and 53 organizations for the 2011 Nobel Peace Prize. It was the highest number of nominations ever received, surpassing the previous record of 237 candidates in 2010.

-- © BNO News All rights reserved 2011-10-07