Recipients' Commitment to Justice Prevailed Against Oppression and
Intimidation by Dictatorial Regimes in their Respective Countries
Argentina's Judge Carmen Argibay, Chile's Judge Carlos Cerda and Peru's
Monica Feria to be Honored
NEW YORK, June 14, 2007 (PRIME NEWSWIRE) -- The Peter and Patricia Gruber Foundation (www.gruberprizes.org) today announces that it will award its 2007 International Justice Prize to three active voices for democracy in the Latin American judicial system:
Carmen Argibay of Argentina -- appellate judge, pioneering women's advocate, corruption foe, and jurist on the Tokyo Tribunal which adjudicated charges of sexual slavery.
Carlos Cerda of Chile -- lifelong judicial educator, Harvard scholar, and courageous member of Chile's judiciary who challenged Pinochet abuse while the dictator was in power.
Monica Feria of Peru -- defender of children's rights and tireless champion of victims of the Fujimori prison massacre of 1992.
"Each prize recipient has shown great resolve in fighting for democratic principles in the face of tyrannical regimes, often at great risk to personal security. Collectively, they are a model for individual action aimed at achieving human equality and the resistance of tyranny around the world," says Justice Sandra Day O'Connor, retired United States Supreme Court Justice and one of the members of the selection panel who chose the 2007 Gruber International Justice Prize recipients.
The Justice Prize will be awarded in a ceremony to be held October 10, 2007, at Georgetown University Law Center in Washington, DC, where world justice leaders will gather for an event to celebrate the achievements of the recipients, who will share the $500,000 prize.
The Gruber Foundation Justice Prize is presented to individuals or organizations for contributions that have advanced the cause of justice as delivered through the legal system. The award is intended to acknowledge individual efforts, as well as to encourage further advancements in the field and progress toward bringing about a fundamentally just world.
The Gruber international Prize Program honors contemporary individuals in the fields of Cosmology, Genetics, Neuroscience, Justice and Women's Rights, whose groundbreaking work provides new models that inspire and enable fundamental shifts in knowledge and culture. The Selection Advisory Boards choose individuals whose contributions in their respective fields advance our knowledge, potentially have a profound impact on our lives, and, in the case of the Justice and Women's Rights Prizes, demonstrate courage and commitment in the face of significant obstacles.
The 2008 nomination form and additional information about nomination requirements and selection criteria may be found on the Foundation web site at www.gruberprizes.org/Nominations/Nominations.php
Media Note: Full press releases, 2007 Gruber International Justice Prize recipient bios, selection panel information, past award recipients and photos are available at www.gruberprizes.org/Press.php