Independent research institute cites three top contenders for Nobel Peace Prize . No candidate emerges as clear-cut favorite ; winner to be announced February . Colombian senator , Jordanian prince , Chinese rights activist among contenders . After obtaining her medical degree in 1982 , Samar and her son fled to Pakistan in 1984 when the communist regime then ruling Afghanistan arrested her husband . Jordanian Chinese monk , Vietnamese dissidents also could be awarded prize .
Independent research institute cites three top contenders for Nobel Peace Prize . No candidate emerges as clear-cut favorite ; winner to be announced February . Colombian senator , Jordanian prince , Chinese rights activist among contenders . Jordanian Chinese monk , Vietnamese dissidents also could be awarded prize .