On June 11 in Washington, D.C., the Institute for Policy Studies released the names of two outstanding human rights advocates who will receive the 1999 Letelier-Moffitt Human Rights Awards. The awards ceremony, which this year celebrates the 23rd anniversary, was established to honor two IPS colleagues who were assassinated in Washington, D.C. by the Chilean secret police: Orlando Letelier, the former Chilean ambassador to the United States, and Ronni Karpen Moffitt, an IPS fundraiser.
IPS, an independent research institute, has been one of the nation's leading formulators and advocates of progressive ideas for 36 years.
The 1999 awards will be presented on October 7th, 1999 at the National Geographic Society in Washington, D.C. The Recipients are:
Domestic Award: Kensington Welfare Rights Union The Kensington Welfare Rights Union (KWRU) is based in Philadelphia and was established by a group of poor women in 1991. KWRU is a multi-racial organization operated by the poor and homeless, dedicated to promoting human rights and economic justice within the United States.
KWRU is an organization committed to providing the poor with immediate relief resources while also displaying a dedication to voicing its beliefs in the political arena.
KWRU's anti-poverty agenda covers a wide spectrum of programs ranging from setting up tent cities for the homeless in Philadelphia to grassroots organized marches in Pennsylvania and New York. KWRU's director, Cheri Honkala, herself a welfare recipient, has become nationally and internationally known as a leading advocate for economic human rights. In May 1999, she addressed the Hague Peace Appeal, advocating U.S. ratification of the UN Convention on Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights.
International Award: Dr. Juan E. Garcès Dr. Juan E. Garcès, a Madrid-based lawyer, has been the driving force behind Spain's efforts to bring Chile's General Augusto Pinochet to justice in a Spanish court for the human rights violations committed under his 1973 to 1990 dictatorship.
For more information on this years award event contact the institute at (202) 234-9382 ext. 236