Brussels - An African activist who fights against female genital mutilation and an Italian writer threatened by the Mafia are among the 10 candidates nominated Wednesday by the European Parliament (EP) for the prestigious Sakharov Prize.

Named after the late Soviet dissident Andrei Sakharov, the prize is awarded each year to democracy and human rights campaigners around the world.

Past winners include South Africa's Nelson Mandela and former United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan.

Among this year's nominations are Izzeldin Abuelaish, a Palestinian gynaecologist who keeps fighting for peace between Israelis and Palestinians despite losing his three daughters in an attack in January 2009. Abuelaish was nominated by former EP President Hans Gert Poettering and 54 other MEPs from different political groupings.

Mariam Lamizana, a government minister in Burkina Faso and an activist in the fight against the genital mutilation of women was nominated by the Europe of Freedom and Democracy Group (ELD/EFD).

Roberto Saviano, an Italian journalist who has been threatened by the Mafia after publishing an international bestseller - Gomorrah - exposing the Neapolitan Camorra, was nominated by Italian MEP Sonia Alfano and 39 other MEPs.

Other nominations include the Foundation Vicente Ferrer, which promotes minority rights and the eradication of extreme poverty in India, a Roman Catholic priest and prominent Vietnamese dissident, as well as an Iranian human rights attorney who campaigns for the abolition of the death penalty and stoning.

The EP's Foreign Affairs and Development Committees is to shortlist three finalists next week, with the winner picked by EP group leaders on October 22.

The winner is to be honoured at an award ceremony at the EP's plenary sitting in Strasbourg on December 16.

Last year's choice of winner, Hu Jia, a Chinese human rights activist, infuriated Beijing and strained relations between the European Union and China. (dpa)