Federico Soria
Federico Soria is a human rights and nature defender from Mendoza, as well as a professional in the tourism sector and in nature conservation. He is also a member of the Assembly of Self-convened Neighbours of Uspallata, a citizen movement organised to oppose the installation of the San Jorge Mining Project due to its negative impacts on the ecosystem and population of Uspallata. Since 1990, Federico Soria has worked to promote the defence of the environment, water and territory by producing informative bibliographic material on the ecosystem of the Andes mountain range. He has also authored numerous laws to create Natural Protected Areas and environmental regulations. He is one of the spokespersons favouring the popular initiative of creating the Uspallata-Polvaredas Natural Protected Area.
Human rights defenders have played a long-standing role in Argentina's pursuit of transitional justice, with Adolfo Pérez Esquivel receiving the Nobel Peace Prize in 1980 for his work as a human rights defender promoting democracy and human rights in the context of dictatorial regimes in Latin America.
For at least a decade, Argentina is established as a state and society that largely respects human rights. However, the crimes of the past and the enduring attempts to assign responsibilities still cloud the situation. While most human rights defenders can operate in freedom, HRDs seeking justice for violations committed during the dictatorship, journalists and trade unionists have received death threats and been subjected to harassment, arbitrary arrest, prosecutions, police violence and smear campaigns. In recent times, defenders have faced new risks, including police brutality, judicial harassment and oppression in indigenous communities.
