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Voices

Juan Méndez’s New Book Examines Human Rights Abuses

October 31, 2011
Taking a Stand: The Evolution of Human Rights (October 24, 2011)
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Juan Méndez has experienced human rights abuse first hand. As a result of his work with political prisoners in the late 1970s, the Argentinean military dictatorship arrested, tortured, and held him for more than a year. During that time, Amnesty International adopted him as a prisoner of conscience. After his release, he moved to the United States and continued his lifelong fight for the rights of others.

In his new book Taking a Stand: The Evolution of Human Rights, Méndez sets forth an authoritative and incisive examination of torture, detention, exile, armed conflict, and genocide. He also offers a new strategy for holding governments accountable for their actions, providing an essential blueprint for different human rights groups to be able to work together to effect change.

Méndez recently took part in a discussion of his book moderated by Aryeh Neier. Listen above.

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