Juan Méndez
Encyclopedia
Juan E. Mendez was born on December 11, 1944 in Argentina
.
In 1970, he received his law degree from Stella Maris University in Mar del Plata
, Argentina.
Early in his career, he became involved in representing political prisoners. As a result, he was arrested by the Argentinean 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.
Subsequently, Mendez worked for the Catholic Church in Aurora, Illinois
, protecting the rights of migrant workers. In 1978 he joined the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights under the Law in Washington, D.C.
, and in 1982, he launched Human Rights Watch
’s (HRW) Americas Program. He continued to work at HRW for 15 years, becoming their general counsel in 1994.
From 1996 to 1999, Mendez served as the Executive Director of the Inter-American Institute of Costa Rica
. He then worked as a Professor of Law and Director of the Center for Civil and Human Rights at the University of Notre Dame
from October 1999 to 2004.
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 currently is its President Emeritus. He is also currently the UN Special Rapporteur on Torture.
Mendez has taught human rights law at Georgetown Law School, the Johns Hopkins
School of Advanced International Studies, and the University of Oxford
Masters Program in International Human Rights Law
in the UK.
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 Université du Québec à Montréal
(University of Quebec in Montreal); the “Monsignor Oscar A. Romero Award for Leadership in Service to Human Rights” by the University of Dayton
; and the “Jeanne and Joseph Sullivan Award” of the Heartland Alliance.
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
.
In 1970, he received his law degree from Stella Maris University in Mar del Plata
Mar del Plata
Mar del Plata is an Argentine city located on the coast of the Atlantic Ocean, south of Buenos Aires. Mar del Plata is the second largest city of Buenos Aires Province. The name "Mar del Plata" had apparently the sense of "sea of the Río de la Plata region" or "adjoining sea to the Río de la Plata"...
, Argentina.
Early in his career, he became involved in representing political prisoners. As a result, he was arrested by the Argentinean military dictatorship
Military dictatorship
A military dictatorship is a form of government where in the political power resides with the military. It is similar but not identical to a stratocracy, a state ruled directly by the military....
and subjected to torture and administrative detention for 18 months. During this period, Amnesty International
Amnesty International
Amnesty International is an international non-governmental organisation whose stated mission is "to conduct research and generate action to prevent and end grave abuses of human rights, and to demand justice for those whose rights have been violated."Following a publication of Peter Benenson's...
adopted him as a “Prisoner of Conscience,” and in 1977, he was expelled from the country and moved to the United States.
Subsequently, Mendez worked for the Catholic Church in Aurora, Illinois
Aurora, Illinois
Aurora is the second most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois, and the 112th largest city in the United States. A suburb of Chicago, located west of the Loop, its population in 2010 was 197,899. Originally founded within Kane County, Aurora's city limits have expanded greatly over the past...
, protecting the rights of migrant workers. In 1978 he joined the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights under the Law in Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
, and in 1982, he launched Human Rights Watch
Human Rights Watch
Human Rights Watch is an international non-governmental organization that conducts research and advocacy on human rights. Its headquarters are in New York City and it has offices in Berlin, Beirut, Brussels, Chicago, Geneva, Johannesburg, London, Los Angeles, Moscow, Paris, San Francisco, Tokyo,...
’s (HRW) Americas Program. He continued to work at HRW for 15 years, becoming their general counsel in 1994.
From 1996 to 1999, Mendez served as the Executive Director of the Inter-American Institute of Costa Rica
Costa Rica
Costa Rica , officially the Republic of Costa Rica is a multilingual, multiethnic and multicultural country in Central America, bordered by Nicaragua to the north, Panama to the southeast, the Pacific Ocean to the west and the Caribbean Sea to the east....
. He then worked as a Professor of Law and Director of the Center for Civil and Human Rights at the University of Notre Dame
University of Notre Dame
The University of Notre Dame du Lac is a Catholic research university located in Notre Dame, an unincorporated community north of the city of South Bend, in St. Joseph County, Indiana, United States...
from October 1999 to 2004.
In 2001, Mendez began working for the International Center for Transitional Justice
International Center for Transitional Justice
The International Center for Transitional Justice was founded in 2001 as a non-profit organization dedicated to pursuing accountability for mass atrocity and human rights abuse through transitional justice mechanisms.-Mission statement:...
(ICTJ), an international human rights
Human rights
Human rights are "commonly understood as inalienable fundamental rights to which a person is inherently entitled simply because she or he is a human being." Human rights are thus conceived as universal and egalitarian . These rights may exist as natural rights or as legal rights, in both national...
NGO. He served as its president from 2004 to 2009, and currently is its President Emeritus. He is also currently the UN Special Rapporteur on Torture.
Mendez has taught human rights law at Georgetown Law School, the Johns Hopkins
Johns Hopkins
Johns Hopkins was a wealthy American entrepreneur, philanthropist and abolitionist of 19th-century Baltimore, Maryland, now most noted for his philanthropic creation of the institutions that bear his name, namely the Johns Hopkins Hospital, and the Johns Hopkins University and its associated...
School of Advanced International Studies, and the University of Oxford
University of Oxford
The University of Oxford is a university located in Oxford, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest surviving university in the world and the oldest in the English-speaking world. Although its exact date of foundation is unclear, there is evidence of teaching as far back as 1096...
Masters Program in International Human Rights Law
International human rights law
International human rights law refers to the body of international law designed to promote and protect human rights at the international, regional and domestic levels...
in the UK.
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 Université du Québec à Montréal
Université du Québec à Montréal
The Université du Québec à Montréal is one of four universities in Montreal, Quebec, Canada.-Basic facts:The UQAM is the largest constituent element of the Université du Québec , a public university system with other branches in Gatineau , Rimouski, Rouyn-Noranda, Quebec City, Chicoutimi, and...
(University of Quebec in Montreal); the “Monsignor Oscar A. Romero Award for Leadership in Service to Human Rights” by the University of Dayton
University of Dayton
The University of Dayton is a private Roman Catholic university operated by the Society of Mary located in Dayton, Ohio...
; and the “Jeanne and Joseph Sullivan Award” of the Heartland Alliance.
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!Democracy Now!Democracy Now! and its staff have received several journalism awards, including the Gracie Award from American Women in Radio & Television; the George Polk Award for its 1998 radio documentary Drilling and Killing: Chevron and Nigeria's Oil Dictatorship, on the Chevron Corporation and the deaths of...