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Ms. Alyson O'Mahoney
(914) 241-0086 ext. 13
aomahoney@robinleedyassociates.com
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Bernetia Akin Peter and Patricia Gruber Foundation
340-775-8035
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| Online Newsroom: |
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE |
Chilean Judge Carlos Cerda and Two Other Latin American Champions of Justice to Share $500K Gruber Foundation International Justice Prize
Cerda’s Commitment to Justice Prevailed Against Oppression and Intimidation by Dictatorial Regime
To schedule one-on-one interviews
with Gruber prize recipients, call (914)-241-0086 ext 13, or email
aomahoney@robinleedyassociates.com.
June 14, 2007, New York, NY -
The Peter and Patricia Gruber Foundation today announced that Judge Carlos Cerda of Chile will share
its 2007 Justice Prize with Justice Carmen
Argibay of Argentina Mónica Feria
of Peru in a ceremony to be held October 10, 2007, at Georgetown University Law
Center in Washington, DC, where world justice leaders will gather to celebrate
the achievements of the recipients. The
three laureates will share the $500,000 award.
Widely admired today as
Chile’s leading legal scholar, Judge
Carlos Cerda has led anything but a sheltered academic life. The only judge in Chile to pursue cases of
human rights abuse by the Pinochet regime while the general was in power, Judge
Cerda issued indictments against members of the Chilean military and police, as
well as civilian collaborators who engaged in kidnapping and murder. An editorial at the time declared that “one
judge demonstrated that it can be done” and “that it’s worth the effort.”
In exercising his judicial
independence, Cerda ignored the complaints and threats of high-ranking secret
police and military officials, and even contested a Supreme Court ruling
ordering him to grant amnesty for crimes he was investigating. Cerda believed that
not until the facts were exhaustively examined could amnesty be considered – an
action that resulted in his temporary removal from the bench. By standing up to
the Pinochet regime, Cerda risked his career and even the respect of some of
his peers. He continues to this day to bring members of the Pinochet family to
justice for corruption and tax evasion.
His principled stance against the Pinochet regime – an act of courage
performed not for the sake of his own career, but for his country and its
citizens – may explain why he was never appointed to Chile’s Supreme Court.
Throughout his judicial
career, Cerda has been dedicated to teaching young lawyers and
judges-in-training -- based on his philosophy that “judges
are guardians of
the human condition when threatened by power, who pursue justice, inner peace,
with prudence, without pride or concern over reward or personal security,
and most importantly, with independence.”
While a visiting scholar at
Harvard, the International and New York bar associations issued a statement
calling Cerda “one of the most brilliant jurists in Chile today;” saying, “his
rectitude, courage and honesty is unquestioned by even his opponents.”
According to Cerda, “Judges are
guardians of the human condition when threatened by power. We must safeguard essential rights of people
faced with excessive exercise of executive and legislative authority, and by
attacks from third parties which demand their protection.” Upon receipt of the
Gruber Justice Prize, Cerda said the efforts of judges should be “undertaken
with inner peace and prudence, without pride or concern over reward or personal
security, and most importantly, with independence. And it is the duty of each citizen to demand
judges with these characteristics. Judge Carlos Cerda’s brief
biography is available at www.gruberprizes.org/GruberPrizes/Justice_LaureateProfile.php?id=13&awardid=12
The Peter and Patricia Gruber Foundation Justice Prize is
presented to individuals or organizations for contributions that have furthered
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.
In addition to the cash award, prize recipients receive a medal of
honor and citation, which says, “The 2007
Justice Prize of the Peter and Patricia Gruber Foundation is hereby proudly
presented to Carmen Maria Argibay, Carlos José Cerda Fernández and Mónica Feria
Tinta who overcame personal experiences of profound injustice to become
outspoken champions of justice. Through their enormous personal courage and
tenacious commitment to a just rule of law, they challenged the absence of
rights in their respective worlds and, in so doing, brought justice to their
own countries and inspiration to human rights advocates around the globe.”
“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,” said Justice
Sandra Day O’Connor, one of the members of the selection panel choosing
Gruber International Justice Prize recipients.
“In
every age and in every country, heroes appear.
Often they are reluctant heroes who choose to take a principled stand in
difficult times. I’m confident that the
efforts of this year’s Justice Prize recipients – three courageous persons
working within the justice systems of Latin America – will inspire people from
all parts of the world to do the right thing at the right time,” said human rights advocate Martin Lee, Esq., a member
of the Gruber Justice selection committee.
Members of the committee
that selected the 2007 Justice Prize Recipients:
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The Honorable Rosalie Silberman Abella, Justice, Supreme Court of Canada
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Dennis Archer, Esq., Former President,
American Bar Association, Former Mayor of Detroit, Former Member of the Supreme
Court of Michigan
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Giuseppe Bisconti, Esq., Chair, International
Foundation for the Rule of Law and the Independence of Lawyers and Judges and
Dormer President of the International Bar Association
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The Honorable Arthur
Chaskalson,
Chief Justice, Constitutional Court of South Africa, retired
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Martin Lee, Esq., Founding chair of
the Democratic Party, Hong Kong, human rights activist
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The Honorable Sandra Day
O'Connor,
Justice, Supreme Court of the United States of America, retired
Past honorees of the Gruber Foundation Justice Prize
include:
-
2006: Aharon Barak, retired President of the
Supreme Court of Israel, renowned for championing an activist judiciary and the
rule of law and democracy.
-
2005:
Malaysian attorney Dató Param Cumaraswamy who, at considerable
risk to himself, stood up for the independence of the judiciary.
-
2004: Chief
Justice Arthur Chaskalson, the first president of South Africa’s
Constitutional Court, and Deputy Chief Justice Pius Langa, an
advocate and judge who helped establish South Africa’s Constitution as a model
for modern democratic societies.
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2003:
Canadian Supreme Court Justices judges Madame Justice Rosalie Silberman
Abella and Madame Justice Bertha Wilson for their
contributions to jurisprudence in Canada and beyond. Abella, who served on the
Ontario Court of Appeal for 20 years before her appointment to the Supreme
Court, is one of Canada’s leading advocate for women’s and human rights;
Wilson, the first woman appointed to the Supreme Court of Canada, has forged a
reputation as a champion of the underdog and a dedicated proponent of fair
play.
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2002: Fali Sam Nariman, Member of the Parliament of India, Senior Advocate
in the Supreme Court of India and President of the Bar Association of India.
Nariman has played an important role in both establishing and enforcing the
rule of law in India. He’s played an important role in establishing universal principles of
human rights as a standard for India and other emerging democracies.
-
2001: The
Honorable Justice Anthony Roy Gubbay, former Chief Justice of Zimbabwe, and the Law Society of
Zimbabwe were the joint recipients of the inaugural Justice Prize in
2001, honored for upholding the independence of the judiciary and protecting
the rights of the people of Zimbabwe.
The Peter and Patricia 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 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
The Peter and Patricia Gruber Foundation honors and
encourages educational excellence, social justice and scientific achievements
that better the human condition. For
more information about Foundation guidelines and priorities, please go to: www.gruberprizes.org.
For more information on the 2007 Gruber Prizes, email media@gruberprizes.org
or contact Bernetia Akin of the Gruber Foundation at 340-775-8035,
or by mail 140 W 57th St Suite 10C New York, NY 10019. Media materials and additional background
information on the Gruber Prizes can be found at our online newsroom:
http://www.gruberprizes.org/Press.php
