Egyptian lawyer Ragia Omran wins Franco-German Prize for Human Rights

Egyptian human rights lawyer Ragia Omran has won a European prize for her work representing political prisoners and torture victims as well as advocating for women's rights. She was among 15 rights defenders from around the world to receive the Franco-German Prize for Human Rights and the Rule of Law.

The German and French embassies in Cairo announced the award earlier this week and will present it to Omran on 10 December.

Several Egyptian rights activists have been recognised in recent months for their work amid an unprecedented crackdown on dissent. Since the military overthrew an elected Islamist president in 2013, Egypt has jailed tens of thousands of dissidents, banned all unauthorised protests, restricted civil society groups and blocked hundreds of websites.    (AP)