Pérez Esquivel, Adolfo

(1931– )

   Argentine sculptor, architect, and human-rights advocate. Pérez Esquivel was born in Buenos Aires and educated at the National School of Fine Arts of Buenos Aires and La Plata. In the 1950s he taught architecture at the Manuel Belgrano National School of Fine Arts. He also produced works of art, and his sculptures were widely exhibited throughout Argentina. In 1971 he joined with liberal Catholic clergy and laypersons to found Servicio Paz y Justicia (SERPAJ, Peace and Justice Service), an organization that advocated nonviolent social reform. SERPAJ had chapters across Latin America, and in 1974 he became its general coordinator. After the military dictatorship in Argentina in 1976, he continued his activism, speaking out against the disappearances. He was imprisoned from April 1977 to May 1978. After his release, he remained under house arrest until 1980. In 1979 he gave testimony to the visiting Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, the investigating arm of the Organization of American States, whose report on Argentina appeared in 1980. For his nonviolent struggle Pérez Esquivel was awarded the 1980 Nobel Peace Prize.

   See also Desaparecidos.