Juan E. Méndez
Juan E. Méndez | |
---|---|
human rights activist, United Nations special rapporteur | |
Awards | Letelier-Moffitt Human Rights Award (2014) |
Juan E. Méndez (born December 11, 1944) is an
Career
Méndez was born in Lomas de Zamora, on the outskirts of Buenos Aires.[2] In 1970, he received his law degree from Stella Maris University in Mar del Plata, Buenos Aires province.[3]
Early in his career, he became involved in representing political prisoners. As a result, he was arrested by the Argentine military dictatorship and subjected to torture and administrative detention for 18 months. During this period, Amnesty International adopted him as a "Prisoner of Conscience," and in 1977, he was expelled from the country and moved to the United States.[4]
Subsequently, Mendez worked for the
From 1996 to 1999, Mendez served as the Executive Director of the Inter-American Human Rights Institute, based in Costa Rica.[2] He then worked as a Professor of Law and Director of the Center for Civil and Human Rights at the University of Notre Dame in the United States from October 1999 to 2004.[5]
In 2001, Mendez began working for the International Center for Transitional Justice (ICTJ), an international human rights NGO. He served as its president from 2004 to 2009 and now is its President Emeritus. In 2014, he was a member of the Open Society Justice Initiative board.[6]
From November 2010 to October 31, 2016, he was the UN Special Rapporteur on Torture.
Mendez has taught
Mendez is on the Steering Committee of
In December 2021, the United Nations Human Rights Council appointed Mendez as a member of Racial Justice Body, a new mechanism to examine systemic racism and the excessive use of force against Africans and people of African descent by law enforcement worldwide.[12] Mendez is one of three members along with Yvonne Mokgoro of South Africa and Tracie L. Keesee of the United States.
Awards
He has received numerous awards for his work, including the Goler T. Butcher Medal from the American Society of International Law; a Doctorate Honoris Causa from the
See also
References
- ^ a b "Juan Mendez, former Special rapporteur (2010-2016)". Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights.
- ^ a b "La Oficina del Asesor Especial para la Prevención del Genocidio". www.un.org.
- ^ a b "Juan E. Mendez", Source Watch
- ^ "Washington College of Law Faculty", American University
- ^ "Faculty Bio" Archived 2012-03-18 at the Wayback Machine, Washington College of Law
- ^ "Torture: It can happen anywhere, Open Society Foundations. Retrieved 2023_02_21".
- ^ "Anti-Torture Initiative. Retrieved 2023_02_21".
- ^ "Gender Perspectives on Torture: Law and Practice, Anti-Torture initiative. Retrieved 2023_02_21".
- ^ The Crimes Against Humanity Initiative Archived 2017-08-10 at the Wayback Machine Whitney R. Harris World Law Institute
- ^ Cecilia Marcela Bailliet, "UN International Law Commission to Elaborate New Global Convention on Crimes Against Humanity" IntLawGrrls
- ^ William A. Schabas, "International Law Commission to Work on Draft Articles on Crimes Against Humanity" PhD studies in human rights
- ^ "Human Rights Council President Appoints Members of Racial Justice Body". www.ohchr.org.
- ^ "Washington College of Law Faculty", American University
- ^ "Instituto de Derechos Humanos - UNLP", Instituto de Derechos Humanos - UNLP
- Washington Post. Retrieved October 22, 2014.
- ^ "Honorees (1996 - 2023)". Death Penalty FOCUS. Retrieved 2024-03-03.
External links
- Announcement from the United Nations of his appointment
- Interview on Democracy Now!
- Speech to Swarthmore College on the Darfur conflict
- Report of the Special Advisor on the Prevention of Genocide: Visit to Darfur, Sudan (PDF)
- Juan Méndez: U.S. Should Address WikiLeaks’ Disclosures of Torture - video interview by Democracy Now!