Joel Holden Filártiga Ferreira (15 August 1932 – 5 July 2019) was a Paraguayan doctor, artist and human rights activist. He became known for his human rights activism after his son, Joelito Filártiga, who was killed by the police during the dictatorship of

Alfredo Stroessner Alfredo Stroessner Matiauda (; 3 November 1912 – 16 August 2006) was a Paraguayan army officer and politician who served as President of Paraguay from 15 August 1954 to 3 February 1989. Stroessner led a coup d'état on 4 May 1954 with the ...

in 1976.

Biography

Filártiga was born in

Ybytimí Ybytimí is a village in the Paraguarí department of Paraguay Paraguay (; ), officially the Republic of Paraguay ( es, República del Paraguay, links=no; gn, Tavakuairetã Paraguái, links=si), is a landlocked country in South America. It ...

Paraguarí Paraguarí (; gn, Paraguari) is a city, ''distrito'' and capital of Paraguarí Department in Paraguay, located 66 km from the country's capital, Asunción. At the 2002 census it had a population of 22,154. He studied medicine at the

National University of Asunción National may refer to: Common uses * Nation or country ** Nationality – a ''national'' is a person who is subject to a nation, regardless of whether the person has full rights as a citizen Places in the United States * National, Maryland, ce ...

, and at the

Albert Einstein College of Medicine Albert Einstein College of Medicine is a research-intensive medical school located in the Morris Park neighborhood of the Bronx in New York City. Founded in 1953, Einstein operates as an independent degree-granting institution as part of t ...

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

. He was a delegate of the Student Center of the Faculty of Medicine before the University Federation of Paraguay, from where he participated in the struggle against the dictatorship of Alfredo Stroessner. Filártiga initially became known for offering health care to poor and indigenous peasants in a clinic that he opened in 1959 in the town of

Ybycuí Ybycuí is a Paraguayan rural community of the Paraguarí Department, department of Paraguari, located 120 km away from Asunción, and 40 km from the Ruta una (Route 1). Toponimics Its name means "Sandy" in Guarani language, Guaran� ...

, in Paraguarí. Filártiga also was an artist. Several of his works were part of special presentations in Paraguay and abroad. On 30 March 1976, Filártiga's son, Joelito, aged 17, was killed. Police claimed the murder was the result of a "crime of passion", committed by a neighborhood's policeman when he caught Joelito with his wife. However, it was later determined that Joelito was kidnapped by the police and tortured since his body exhibited marks of torture. The family Filártiga was opposed to Stroessner's regime, and therefore was persecuted. Filártiga fought for a long time for it to be acknowledged that his son had been murdered. In 1978, one of the main suspects, Américo Norberto Peña Irala, escaped to the United States. A daughter of Filártiga, Dolly, also went to the U.S. seeking exile. When she learned of Peña's presence in the country, the Filártiga family denounced him with the help of the

Center for Constitutional Rights The Center for Constitutional RightsThe Center for Constitutional Rights
(CCR) is a Filártiga v. Peña-Irala''. He was portrayed by

Anthony Hopkins Sir Philip Anthony Hopkins (born 31 December 1937) is a Welsh actor, director, and producer. One of Britain's most recognisable and prolific actors, he is known for his performances on the screen and stage. Hopkins has received many accolad ...

in the 1991 television film ''

One Man's War ''One Man's War'' is a 1991 television drama film set in Paraguay in 1976, under the dictatorship of General Alfredo Stroessner. It is based on the true story of Joel Filártiga (played by Anthony Hopkins), who sought justice for his son's death ...

''. In November 2018, he was decorated by the

Senate of Paraguay The Chamber of Senators of Paraguay (''Cámara de Senadores''), the upper house of the National Congress, has 45 members, elected for a five-year term by proportional representation. The Paraguayan bicameral legislature, which included the Sen ...

, which paid him a tribute for "his unwavering fight for health, freedom and justice." Filártiga died on 5 July 2019 at age of 86, in the Social Security Institute Hospital in

Asunción Asunción (, , , Guarani: Paraguay) is the capital and the largest city of Paraguay. The city stands on the eastern bank of the Paraguay River, almost at the confluence of this river with the Pilcomayo River. The Paraguay River and the Bay of ...

References

Paraguayan physicians Paraguayan artists 1932 births 2019 deaths People from Paraguarí Department Paraguayan human rights activists {{Paraguay-activist-stub