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LETELIER-MOFFITT MEMORIAL FUND FOR HUMAN RIGHTS
1901 Q Street, N.W. Washington, D.C. 20009
(202) 234-9382

THE LETELIER-MOFFITT MEMORIAL HUMAN RIGHTS AWARDS

The Letelier-Moffitt Memorial Human Rights Awards were established in 1977 by the Institute for Policy Studies to honor the memories of our colleagues, Orlando Letelier and Ronni Karpen Moffitt, who were murdered on September 21, 1976 on orders of the Chilean secret police.  In choosing the recipients of these awards, the Institute for Policy pays tribute to the legacy of our slain colleagues, who worked for equality and justice for all the people of the world.

As Director of the Transnational Institute, IPS's international program, Orlando Letelier examined the interrelationship between economic rights and political freedom.  He decried the assumption that political rights were somehow separable and more important than basic human needs.  While alive, Orlando Letelier spoke out for democracy, and against political and economic repression.  In her work, Ronni Moffitt demonstrated that we cannot further democracy and equity in this country without standing with those seeking justice abroad.

The Letelier-Moffitt Memorial Human Rights Award is given to worthy individuals and groups dedicated to the struggle for human rights in the United States and Latin America.  Recipients of the Award exemplify, with their lives and work, courage and commitment to the struggle for justice, peace and dignity.

GUIDELINES

The Award recipients are chosen by a Board of the Letelier-Moffitt Memorial Human Rights Fund, made up of five members from the Institute for Policy Studies, and four to six members from the human rights community outside of IPS.

Two awards are given each year, one for the United States and another for Latin America.  The recipients--an individual or organization--in each of these two categories should be engaged in the active defense and promotion of human rights, a human rights which recognizes not only political freedom but economic justice as well.  While they need not be involved in issues which deal with other nations, their work should be of such significance for human rights that it transcends national boundaries.  (We specify that the recipient may be an individual or organization in the interest of flexibility.)

In the past, we have attempted to select recipients who are otherwise unrecognized by the media, the U.S. public, and the international community in general, and for whose work such recognition would have a significant impact.  The recipients' work and achievement should be recognized as an example for the rest of the human rights community.

A Program of the Institute for Policy Studies