WASHINGTON, Oct. 4, 2007 (PRIME NEWSWIRE) -- Associate Justice of the United States Supreme Court Ruth Bader Ginsburg will moderate a symposium featuring three active voices for democracy in the Latin American judicial system as they are honored with the 2007 Justice Prize of the Peter and Patricia Gruber Foundation. "Courts at Risk - Rights in Peril: Where Have the Courageous Gone?" will be the subject as Supreme Court Justice Carmen Maria Argibay of Argentina, Judge Carlos Jose Cerda Fernandez of Chile, and lawyer/activist Monica Feria Tinta of Peru discuss both current events and the important actions they took within their countries that led them to this honor. The symposium, open to the public, will take place on October 10, 2007, 4 p.m., at Georgetown University Law Center in Washington, DC. Video highlights will be available worldwide within 24 hours of the event at www.gruberprizes.org.
"Each of these recipients has played an important role in fighting for democratic principles in the face of tyrannical regimes, often at great risk to his or her own freedom and safety," says Peter Gruber, founder of the Foundation which has been awarding the annual Gruber Justice Prize since 2001. "They will talk about their experiences and discuss how to recognize, and act in, politically dangerous times."
Event Panelists Will Include:
Justice Carmen Argibay of Argentina, who was imprisoned for nine months, without trial or charges, by the military dictatorship in Argentina in 1974. After democracy was restored, she resumed her duties as a Sentencing Judge, was subsequently appointed to the National Court of Criminal Appeals, and then became the first woman nominated to the Supreme Court of Argentina. Justice Argibay's career demonstrates a lifelong commitment to promoting gender equality and eliminating corruption within the justice system.
Judge Carlos Cerda of Chile, who is widely regarded as an outstanding legal scholar and is reputed to be the only judge in Chile to pursue cases of human rights abuses by the Pinochet regime while General Pinochet was still in power. He issued indictments against members of the Chilean military and police, as well as civilian collaborators engaged in kidnapping and murder. He continues, to this day, to bring members of the Pinochet family to justice for corruption and tax evasion.
Monica Feria of Peru, an international lawyer championing the fight against torture around the world. She argued the first international case concerning the rights of children in times of war before the highest international human rights tribunal in the Americas, where she helped establish a major precedent protecting children's rights. In proceedings at the Inter-American Court on Human Rights, Feria also secured $6 million in reparations for victims of crimes against humanity. This case -- the first international case in the Americas concerning violence against women -- grew out of the experience of the 133 women (including Ms. Feria) who had been victims of torture at the time of the 1992 massacre at the Castro Castro prison in Lima, Peru (under the Alberto Fujimori regime).
Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg will be the symposium moderator. Appointed to the high court by President Clinton in 1993, Justice Ginsburg has provided a strong, independent voice in matters pertaining to human rights. While an attorney, she played an important role in launching the Women's Rights Project of the American Civil Liberties Union and argued several cases involving women's rights before the Supreme Court. In a speech before the Constitutional Court of South Africa in February 2006, she spoke of the need to preserve the rule of law and recognize individual liberties, even in the face of terrorism. Justice Ginsburg was ranked #20 on Forbes' 2007 list of "The 100 Most Powerful Women."
The Justice Prize of the Peter and Patricia Gruber Foundation is presented to individuals or organizations for contributions that have furthered the cause of justice as delivered through the legal system. The prize 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.
For more information, visit the Gruber Foundation Web site at www.gruberprizes.org
NOTE TO MEDIA: PRIZE RECIPIENTS AVAILABLE FOR INTERVIEWS
To schedule a one-on-one interview with any of the 2007 Gruber Justice Prize recipients or to attend and cover the symposium event, contact Alyson O'Mahoney at (914) 241-0086, ext. 13, or email aomahoney@robinleedyassociates.com; online newsroom available at www.gruberprizes.org/Press.php