Emilio Fermín Mignone (July 23, 1922 - December 21, 1998) Argentine lawyer and founder of the Centre for Legal and Social Studies (CELS), was a "central figure of the most transcendental social movement of the last quarter of the twentieth century in Argentina, the human rights movement"[1] that strengthened and developed in the struggle against Argentina's military dictatorship of 1976-1983 and its aftermath.[2][3] He died of cancer in Buenos Aires at the age of 76.[4]

Early life

Emilio F. Mignone was born in Luján, Buenos Aires. He was educated as a lawyer, as the inaugural President of the National University of Luján.[5][6]

Career

Mignone worked for the Argentine Ministry of Justice in the 1950s.[7] He spent 6 years from 1963 to 1969 as Argentina's representative to the Organization of American States (OAS), in Washington DC. He returned to Argentina and was the under-secretary of Education in the Peronist government. In 1973 he became a founding rector of the National University of Luján, located in the city of his birth.[8]

In 1976, Mignone was a practising lawyer in Argentina. His daughter Monica was one of many Argentinians who disappeared after being kidnapped and taken to a government facility.[9][10] Mignone was the founder and President of CELS Argentine human rights organization (1979) along with five other people who had evidence that their children were victims of state terrorism during the last Argentine military dictatorship.[11] The CELS compiled detailed records on thousands of cases of disappearance, kidnapping, torture, and murder committed by the Argentine military. This pivotal information proved crucial to subsequent investigations concerning the era of the "Dirty War" against leftist guerrillas and those believed to support them. These investigations revealed that approximately 13,000 to 15,000 individuals had lost their lives, often enduring torture beforehand, and an additional 10,000 had been subjected to abductions and prolonged imprisonment. Additionally, the center extended legal support to victims and their families and actively pursued legal cases against the government, aiming to uncover evidence of severe human rights violations. In a series of class-action suits famously recognized as the Perez de Smith cases, Mignone successfully persuaded the Argentine Supreme Court to acknowledge the government's obligation to acknowledge the disappearances and account for the well-being of the disappeared individuals mentioned in the lawsuits. Mignone personally oversaw the center's campaigns to raise public awareness and maintain connections with foreign governments and international human rights organizations, including the United Nations Human Rights Commission. In this role, he played a significant part in ensuring that the human rights situation in Argentina remained a global concern.[12]

In February 1981, Mignone and five other center directors faced arrest, and their offices were subjected to searches but international protests led to their release one week later. After the reinstatement of democratic governance in Argentina in December 1983, the CELS persisted in its role of monitoring and releasing reports concerning the status of human rights and civil liberties within the nation. During this period, Mignone resumed his writing efforts focused on civic education, including the development of a high school curriculum covering topics such as democracy, military rule, and the erosion of civic institutions. In 1998, he actively participated in protests against the government's proposal to demolish the Navy Mechanics School, a location where no less than 4,000 individuals had suffered torture and lost their lives. The government intended to replace it with a monument symbolizing national unity. Ultimately, this site was later designated as a "museum of memory."[13]

Mignone served as CELS president from 1979 until his death in 1998.[14]

The Emilio Mignone International Human Rights Prize has been created in his name.[15] in 2007, by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Argentina.[16]

References

  1. ↑ Carril, Mario del (2011). La vida de Emilio Mignone : justicia, catolicismo y derechos humanos (1a edición ed.). C.A.B.A. [Buenos Aires]. p. 9. ISBN 978-950-04-3325-9. OCLC 755909082.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  2. ↑ Kaufman, Michael (December 25, 1998). "Emilio F. Mignone, 76, Dies; Argentine Rights Campaigner". New York Times.
  3. ↑ "Book explores Pope Francis' Argentine origins". National Catholic Reporter, Arthur Liebscher, Jan. 14, 2015
  4. ↑ Emilio F. Mignone, 76, Dies; Argentine Rights Campaigner
  5. ↑ "Argentina 'Dirty War' accusations haunt Pope Francis". By Vladimir Hernandez BBC Mundo, 15 March 2013.
  6. ↑ Aryeh Neier (2003). Taking Liberties: Four Decades in the Struggle for Rights. PublicAffairs. pp. 178–. ISBN 978-1-891620-82-9.
  7. ↑ "Emilio Fermin Mignone | Argentine Human Rights Lawyer | Britannica". www.britannica.com. Retrieved 2023-10-02.
  8. ↑ "Emilio Fermin Mignone | Argentine Human Rights Lawyer | Britannica". www.britannica.com. Retrieved 2023-10-02.
  9. ↑ Iain Guest (1 October 1990). Behind the Disappearances: Argentina's Dirty War Against Human Rights and the United Nations. University of Pennsylvania Press. pp. 34–. ISBN 0-8122-1313-0.
  10. ↑ Argentina. Human Rights Watch. 2001. pp. 17–. GGKEY:3ZE9C3BECFK.
  11. ↑ Naomi Roht-Arriaza (24 November 2010). The Pinochet Effect: Transnational Justice in the Age of Human Rights. University of Pennsylvania Press. pp. 101–. ISBN 978-0-8122-0307-3.
  12. ↑ "Emilio Fermin Mignone | Argentine Human Rights Lawyer | Britannica". www.britannica.com. Retrieved 2023-10-02.
  13. ↑ "Emilio Fermin Mignone | Argentine Human Rights Lawyer | Britannica". www.britannica.com. Retrieved 2023-10-02.
  14. ↑ Kathryn Sikkink (26 September 2011). The Justice Cascade: How Human Rights Prosecutions Are Changing World Politics (The Norton Series in World Politics). W. W. Norton. pp. 66–. ISBN 978-0-393-08328-6.
  15. ↑ "India refuses entry to Philippines activist". UCA News, Joe Torres, Manila, Philippines, August 21, 2014
  16. ↑ "EMILIO F. MIGNONE" INTERNATIONAL HUMAN RIGHTS PRIZE
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