Juan E. Méndez Book Award Ceremony |
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On February 22, author and Oxford professor Dr. Francesca Lessa’s latest publication, The Condor Trials: Transnational Repression and Human Rights in South America, was presented with the 2023 Juan E. Méndez Book Award for Human Rights in Latin America. The award, going on its 14th year, is supported by the Duke Human Rights Center at the Franklin Humanities Institute, Duke Center for Latin American and Caribbean Studies, and the Human Rights Archive at the Rubenstein Rare Book and Manuscript Library. Named after Juan E. Méndez, prominent human rights activist, lawyer, and the former UN Special Rapporteur on Torture, the award seeks to highlight non-fiction works that discuss human rights, democracy, and social justice in contemporary Latin America.
Through the voices of survivors and witnesses, human rights activists, judicial actors, journalists and historians, Lessa reveals the transnational repression executed by South American dictators between 1969 and 1981. Under plan Condor, they kidnapped, tortured, and murdered hundreds of exiles, turning South America into a zone of terror for those who stood up against human rights abuses. However, Lessa goes above and beyond to show the complex work of activists who transcended borders to win justice for those victimized by this repressive period. Furthermore, Lessa revisits the ongoing struggles for justice in South America as the unprecedented atrocities of the past are brought into the limelight.
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2023 Global Ideas, Local Impact |
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The Student Advisory Board at the Duke Human Rights Center (DHRC) was excited to host their annual event, Global Ideas, Local Impact, again this year. This event consisted of an alumni panel in which students present an overview of their research related to human rights at Duke and around the world.
This year's alumni include: Amelia Chatham, Master of International Affairs Candidate at Columbia University; Zack Fowler, Head of Strategic Partnerships at Amplify Girls; Stacie Siebrecht, previously at Disability Rights Washington; and Alisha Pollastri, Director of Research and Evaluation of Think: Kids in the Department of Psychiatry of Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School. The event was moderated by Duke senior Rania Soufny, Student Advisory Board co-chair.
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The Koonz Human Rights Prize award honors Oliver W. Koonz, Prof. Claudia Koonz’s late father. The prize honors the best essay/paper or alternative project prepared by an undergraduate for the academic year.
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2023 Human Rights Summer Research Grant Awardees |
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The Human Rights Research Grants are intended to strengthen global research opportunities for students interested in developing, implementing, and working in human rights.
Celebrating the 2023 grant recipients and their projects:
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Alex Penne: Effects of U.S. Drone Technology in Shanghai, China.
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Andrew McCallum: Museums, Memory, and Migration in Paraguay.
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Durga Sreenivasan: Colonial Reparations for India's Most Marginalized.
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Hareth Yousef: Illegal Settlements and Land Confiscation in Palestine Farming Communities.
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John Edison Sabogal Venegas: Turbulent Transitions: Reconciliation and Political Struggles in the Aftermaths of Armed Conflict in Southwestern Colombia.
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Taylor Glatt: Provider Prospective on Barriers to Healthcare Accessibility for Refugees in Durham, North Carolina.
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The Human Rights Certificate offers students an in-depth and rigorous interdisciplinary study of human rights history, theory and practice, cultivating life-long learners and engaged citizens who have a deep and nuanced understanding of human rights.
We send our warmest congratulations to our four Human Rights Certificate graduates: Zavera Basrai, Serena Biondi, Sarah Kelso, and Maya Lytje. Best wishes in your future endeavors!
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The Duke Human Rights Center @ the Franklin Humanities Institute brings together an interdisciplinary group of scholars, staff and students to promote new understandings about global human rights issues. |
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