2011 Courage Awards presented

WASHINGTON, March 8 (UPI) -- U.S. first lady Michelle Obama Tuesday praised a group of women for their courage in fighting discrimination and corruption in a State Department ceremony.

The 2011 International Women of Courage Awards were presented to 10 women from various countries who at "some point … decided that she simply could not carry on in the face of an injustice," Obama said.

"And so each, in her own way, decided to act. They decided to speak up, to publish an article, to file a lawsuit, to run for office, to open a school. And they have done these things at great tremendous risk to themselves and to their families. They've received death threats. They have been beaten, kidnapped, imprisoned, tortured," she said, marking the 100th anniversary of the awards.

"Women still bear the brunt of poverty, war, disease, and famine. And when it comes to the boardroom meetings, government sessions, peace negotiations, and other assemblies where crucial decisions are made in the world, women are too often absent," Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said.

The recipients included Kyrgyz President Roza Otunbayeva; Prosecutor General Maria Bashir of Herat province, Afghanistan; Belarussian activist Nasta Palazhanka, journalist and publisher Henriette Ekwe Ebongo of Cameroon; Chinese lawyer Guo Jianmei; Cuban blogger Yoani Sanchez; Agnes Osztolykan, a member of the Hungarian Parliament; Jordanian human rights activist Eva Abu Halaweh; Deputy Attorney General Marisela Morales Ibanez of Mexico, who prosecutes organized crime, and Ghulam Sughra, founder and chief executive officer of Marvi Rural Development Organization in Pakistan.

Obama quoted Bashir, who said, "If we women do not accept risks and work, no changes will happen."

"And in the end, that's why we are all here today. …," Obama added. "People everywhere who care about freedom and justice and equality will walk with you."