The Latin America Working Group mourns the passing of Senator Edward Kennedy, a crusader for human rights and social justice in our nation and around the world. As the Woodrow Wilson Center's Cynthia Arnson describes his remarkable efforts in Latin America, including his outspoken efforts to denounce human rights abuses following the 1973 coup in Chile, “His name is recognized and revered among a whole generation of Latin Americans who were persecuted or forced into exile during the years of the dictatorships.”
I fondly recall bringing rather star-struck Latin American human rights activists to his office in the Russell Building and working with his staff in creating the first draft of the human rights conditions for the Plan Colombia package.
Senator Kennedy, you will be missed.