32nd Annual Letelier-Moffitt Human Rights Awards
The Institute for Policy Studies proudly presents the 32nd Annual Letelier-Moffitt Human Rights Awards. Please join us in honoring the Indian Workers Congress and Francisco Soberón and Asociación Pro Derechos Humanos (APRODEH) of Peru for their courageous advocacy of human rights.
Registration begins at 5:30 p.m., a reception with light fare starts at 6:00 p.m.., a ceremony follows at 7:00 p.m., and the program wraps up with desserts and coffee at 8:30 p.m. You are also invited to stay and watch the presidential debate held that night on the big screen with us beginning at 9:00 p.m.
For more information, call Sena Tsikata at 202-787-5277 or email at sena@ips-dc.org.
AWARD RECIPIENTS
The Indian Workers Congress has taken a courageous stand against what is essentially modern-day slavery. Their ordeal began when they were among several hundred Indians recruited in 2006 for post-Katrina reconstruction work. The recruiters, hired by Signal Corporation, a Northrop Grumman subsidiary, promised the men green cards if they each paid $15,000-$20,000. Instead, after arriving in the Gulf Coast, they were given 10-month guest workers visas and placed in isolated labor camps. In March 2008, more than 100 walked off the job and formed the Indian Workers Congress. With the support of U.S, allies they embarked on a "satyagraha,’" a Gandhian tradition of traveling by foot in the pursuit of truth and justice. Their journey took them from New Orleans to Washington, DC, where they testified before Congress and endured a 29-day hunger strike, demanding that Signal and the recruiters be prosecuted for human trafficking. A Justice Department Investigation is ongoing.
Presented by Barbara Ehrenreich
The Asociación Pro Derechos Humanos (APRODEH) has been the driving force behind the current trial of former Peruvian President Alberto Fujimori for alleged crimes against humanity during his 1990-2000 reign. This trial marks the first time a former head of state has been extradited to his own country to face justice for human rights violations. APRODEH supplied the attorney who is representing victims’ families in this case and is responsible for recent convictions of death squad leaders. In her book Speak Truth to Power, Kerry Kennedy highlighted the APRODEH founder, stating that "In the violent, vicious military and political battle that has divided his country Soberón has been viewed with suspicion and fear by both sides. Throughout the last arduous twenty years, Soberón has never failed to report abuse, even though doing so has endangered his life." Indeed he continues to face threats from all sides. In May 2008, leading international human rights groups came to Soberón’s defense when current government officials made unfounded accusations against him.
Presented by Rep. Donna Edwards (D-MD)
Arts Event: Where Rivers Meet
This special event will feature poetry and art by Francisco Letelier and music by Jacqueline Fuentes. Join us on October 14 at the Letelier Theater (named in honor of Orlando Letelier) as these artists create a vision of possibility through images, words and music.
Francisco Letelier is well-known for his moving visual art, as well as for his powerful spoken word poetry, which examines and celebrates struggles for human rights. He is the son of Orlando Letelier, the Chilean diplomat who was assassinated by agents of Pinochet in Washington, DC in 1976, on his way to work at the Institute for Policy Studies. Francisco has carried on the legacy of Chilean culture, creating opportunities which bridge continents and disciplines.
Jacqueline Fuentes is an intense experience, a fusion of love, awareness and revolution. Audiences are mesmerized by the power of her voice and the beauty of her lyrics. The volatile political injustices of her native Chile, culminating with the 1973 coup d’etat, gave a voice to folk music and the plight of the people it represented. Jacqueline was heavily influenced by this movement and by such great artists as Mercedes Sosa and Violeta Parra, not only for the beauty of their music but how it had the power to move so many people. Crossing the boundaries of language, religion, and geography their music formed a collective of inspiration and solidarity.
This event is free but seating is limited. Entrance to the building is in the courtyard. See their website for more information.
Please RSVP to emilyh@ips-dc.org.
This performance is in honor of this year’s Letelier-Moffit Human Rights awardees, the Indian Workers Congress and Francisco Soberón and Asociación Pro Derechos Humanos (APRODEH) of Peru for their courageous advocacy of human rights. The Letelier-Moffitt Human Rights awards program will take place Wednesday, October 15, at the National Press Club — visit the event page for more details or to purchase tickets.
Patricio Zamorano in Concert
The Institute for Policy Studies is pleased to join the Embassy of Chile and Georgetown University’s Center for Latin American Studies to sponsor this concert by Patricio Zamorano, an award-winning performer and composer of Latin American folk music.
Concierto de Fiestas Patrias
Free Admission
RSVP: cultural@embassyofchile.org / 202-530-4118
Location of ICC Auditorium
This auditorium is one and a half blocks from the campus entrance at the corner of 37th and O Streets in Georgetown.
Special guests:
Roberto Brodsky, Chilean writer
Juan Maldonado, Guitarist
Mauricio Betanzo, Cellist
Philippe de Pontet, Percussionist
Kevin Williams, Sound Technician
About Patricio Zamorano
His mentors in Chile were Margot Loyola, winner of the National Art Award and the most respected folk specialist in that country, and Cuncumén, a music group with 50 years of history, where Victor Jara started out on his music path. Even though his roots are in the Chilean folk tradition, he has developed an urban style in his compositions with a message focused on the human being and his/her history, social issues, human rights, and also love and hope for a better world.
He plays some of the most traditional South American instruments: guitar, charango, tiple, cuatro, ukelele, quena, zampoña, and ravel.
He has revived all rhythms from the depths of his country and culture, and projected them on to the urban world and stages. He has also gathered old folk songs directly from musicians in the Chilean countryside; these songs are also part of his repertoire.
Patricio Zamorano has performed on many stages both in Chile and the United States, including TV and radio programs, theaters, schools, universities, clubs, cultural centers, libraries, and embassies; also political events to support human and civil rights. In Chile, as part of Cuncumén he performed at the most important national theater, the Teatro Municipal of Santiago, a venue normally reserved for classical repertoire, which opens its doors to folk music and artists on rare occasions.
Zamorano and the members of Cuncumén are winners of the 1996 award for best folklore album from the Association of Journalists Covering Entertainment (Premio APES) and he’s a member of the Sociedad del Derecho de Autor, SCD (Chilean performing rights organization).
More information can be found at the Chilean Embassy website.
Film Screening: The Judge and the General
This screening of "The Judge and the General" will be the Washington, DC, premiere of this important documentary exploring the personal transformation of Chilean judge Juan Guzmán, the 2005 recipient of the Letelier-Moffitt Human Rights Award. For more than 30 years, IPS has hosted this awards program in the names of two colleagues, Orlando Letelier and Ronni Karpen Moffitt, who were assassinated by agents of Pinochet in 1976.
About the film: When in 1998 Chilean judge Juan Guzmán was assigned the first criminal cases against the country’s ex-dictator, General Augusto Pinochet, no one expected much. Guzmán had supported Pinochet’s 1973 coup — waged as an anti-Communist crusade — that left the democratically elected president, Salvador Allende, and thousands of others dead or "disappeared." The filmmakers trace the judge’s descent into what he calls "the abyss," where he uncovers the past — including his own role in the tragedy. "The Judge and the General" reveals one of the 20th century’s most notorious episodes and tells a cautionary tale about violating human rights in the name of "higher ideals."
About the filmmakers
Elizabeth Farnsworth, Producer/Director
Elizabeth Farnsworth was chief correspondent and principal substitute anchor on PBS’s The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer from 1995-2000. She then became a senior correspondent, reporting mostly from overseas. She now freelances for The NewsHour and makes documentaries.
Patricio Lanfranco, Producer/Director
Patricio Lanfranco, a Chilean citizen living in Santiago, has been a researcher and producer for two decades. As senior producer of the news department of Chilean National TV (TVN), he produced the live television coverage of the 1995 trial of Manuel Contreras, former chief of Pinochet’s secret police, for the 1976 Washington, D.C. murder of Orlando Letelier. Letelier worked at the Institute for Policy Studies at the time of his assassination. Because of the broadcast, Chileans were able for the first time to watch attorneys present evidence in an official setting of human rights crimes committed by the secret police.
For additional information on screenings in other cities and TV broadcasts, see: www.westwindproductions.org/the-judge-and-the-general.html
Sharp Attack Unwarranted
The campaign against Gene Sharp and the Albert Einstein Institution is beyond bizarre.
On Boycotting the Beijing Olympics
The international community should boycott the opening ceremonies of the Olympics to send a signal to China about its support of the Sudanese government, argues Eric Reeves.
Counterproductive Olympic Protests
Those protesting Beijing’s hosting of the summer Olympics are simply stoking patriotic feelings within China, argues James Nolt.
The National Future of Belarus
Will Belarus buck the recent trend and give up its sovereignty to merge with Russia?
Approaching Tibet
The West is seriously misreading what is going on in Tibet.
Tibet’s Dangerous Game
Washington must balance human rights and regional stability in its response to Beijing over Tibet.
The Andean Crisis
In seven days, the Andean region went from the brink of war to a grudging peace. But as columnist Laura Carlsen reports, all is still not well.
Guantanamo: The Bigger Picture
The case for shutting down not just the prison, but the military base where it sits.
Hardliners Target Dtente with North Korea
The opponents of engagement with North Korea are sharpening their knives.
Bush’s Last State of the Union
Stephen Zunes tells you the real story behind the president’s latest speech.