On October 10, the Institute for Policy Studies’ 48th annual Letelier-Moffitt Human Rights Awards will recognize the Institute for Middle East Understanding (IMEU) and rabbis for the Ceasefire and the Concejo de Autoridades de 48 Cantones de Totonicapán

What: Institute for Policy Studies’ 48th Annual Letelier-Moffitt Human Rights Awards
When: Thursday, October 10 from 5:30 PM to 8:00 PM ET
Where: Friends Meeting of Washington, DC
2111 Decatur Place NW, Washington, DC, 20008-1912
(The ceremony will also be live streamed. A link will be provided to virtual attendees.)

Press contact below

Washington, D.C. – The Institute for Policy Studies’ 48th Annual Letelier-Moffitt Human Rights Awards will take place on Thursday October 10th 5:30 PM to 8:00 PM ET at the Friends Meeting of Washington, DC. The event will also be streamed live.

For more than four decades, the Institute for Policy Studies has held an annual awards ceremony to honor the spirit and legacy of the former Chilean Ambassador to the United States Orlando Letelier and his colleague from the Institute for Policy Studies Ronni Karpen Moffittwho were murdered in 1976 by agents of authoritarian Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet when a car bomb detonated in Sheridan Circle while they were on their way to work in Washington, D.C.

In honor of their tireless work to promote human rights and dignity, each year IPS honors outstanding human rights advocates and celebrates the work they do to promote justice, peace and dignity for all.

This year, the domestic recipients of the Letelier-Moffitt Human Rights Awards are jointly the Institute for Middle East Understanding (IMEU) And Rabbis for a ceasefire for their work to promote the human rights and dignity of Palestinians and to demand an immediate, permanent ceasefire in Gaza. The international recipient is the Concejo de Autoridades de 48 Cantones de Totonicapánfor their work to fight for human rights and autonomy for 48 groups of Maya K’iché people and to increase access to opportunities for indigenous peoples throughout Guatemala.

Read more details about the awards ceremony.

The awards ceremony is open to members of the media. To respond as media, contact IPS Deputy Communications Director Olivia Alperstein at (202) 704-9011 or [email protected].

“Every year IPS Letelier-Moffitt publishes Human Rights Awards encourage visionary voices. The winners have become progressive presidents in Brazil, Colombia and Chile, overturned Chile’s Pinochet-era constitution, won landmark union campaigns against corporate power and stood firm against multinational corporations seeking to evict indigenous peoples from their lands. to drive away,” he said IPS Executive Director Tope Folarin. “Together, all our winners contribute to creating the future we want to share.”

About the winners:

Domestic winners: The Institute for Middle East Understanding (IMEU) has changed the tide of public opinion on Palestine over the past decade by providing journalists with quick, reliable access to information about Palestine for Palestinians.

Rabbis for a ceasefire is an ad hoc group of rabbis from different denominations organizing for a ceasefire in Gaza and a just peace in Israel-Palestine.

International winner: The Concejo de Autoridades de 48 Cantones de Totonicapán convenes the ancestral community authorities of 48 groups of Maya K’iché people to defend democracy and expand access to opportunities for indigenous peoples in Guatemala.

“We strive to recognize the often unsung heroes across the hemisphere who are fighting for economic, cultural, social and civil rights. Our joyful ceremony each October celebrates the victories, struggles and stories of those fighting for justice in America,” he added. Folarin.

On the murder of Orlando Letelier and Ronni Karpen Moffitt:

In 1973, ten years after the Institute for Policy Studies opened its doors with the belief that progressive thinking, advocacy and action can build a better society, Chile’s democratically elected government was overthrown by a military coup.

These two histories became inextricably linked on September 21, 1976, when agents of Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet detonated a car bomb in Washington, DC, killing Orlando Letelier, a former Chilean diplomat and director of the IPS Transnational Institute, and Ronni Karpen Moffitt , an IPS consultant, died. Development Officer, in Washington, DC

In addition to his work at IPS, which emphasized the relationship between economic rights and political freedom, Letelier had become one of Pinochet’s most outspoken critics. Moffitt had a ‘Music Carryout’ program to make musical instruments accessible to everyone. Her fundraising work at IPS emphasized that we will not advance democracy and equality in this country unless we stand with those who seek justice abroad.

A massive FBI investigation traced the crime to the highest levels of Pinochet’s regime, and justice measures have been taken in recent decades, including the prosecution of numerous individuals involved in the bombings, a successful civil suit against the Republic of Chile on behalf family members, and the indictment of Pinochet himself in his home country.

The Letelier-Moffitt Awards have played a critical role in the fight for justice for our fallen colleagues and in galvanizing the fight against injustice around the world.

About the Institute for Policy Studies

For more than six decades, the Institute for Policy Studies has served as a multi-issue research institution that conducts groundbreaking analysis on inequality issues and bold policy solutions to bridge the racial, wealth, and income gaps that divide us. Subscribe to the IPS weekly newsletter to read our latest research and expert perspectives on pressing issues impacting communities in the US and around the world.

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