Luís Guillermo Peréz (born 10 December 1962) is a Colombian human rights lawyer who is currently serving as the General Secretary for the Americas for the
International Federation for Human Rights
The International Federation for Human Rights (; FIDH) is a non-governmental federation for human rights organizations. Founded in 1922, FIDH is the third oldest international human rights organization worldwide after Anti-Slavery International ...
. He has represented the Americas at the FIDH since 2004 and in May 2013 announced his candidacy to stand for the FIDH's presidency.
He is a lawyer with the José Alvear Restrepo Lawyer's Collective and sits on its general assembly.
Early life and education
Peréz was born in
Líbano in the
Tolima department of
Colombia
Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia, is a country primarily located in South America with Insular region of Colombia, insular regions in North America. The Colombian mainland is bordered by the Caribbean Sea to the north, Venezuel ...
's
Andean Region. He gained his undergraduate degree from the
National University of Colombia
The National University of Colombia () is a national public research university in Colombia, with general campuses in Bogotá, Medellín, Manizales and Palmira, and satellite campuses in Leticia, San Andrés, Arauca, Tumaco, and La Paz, ...
and has done graduate study at the Institute for Higher Studies in Development, External University of Colombia, and political science at
Sciences Po Bordeaux and the Institute of Political Studies, Brussels.
Career
Peréz joined the José Alvear Restrepo Lawyer's Collective (CAJAR) in 1987 and became the general secratry for the Americas region for
International Federation for Human Rights
The International Federation for Human Rights (; FIDH) is a non-governmental federation for human rights organizations. Founded in 1922, FIDH is the third oldest international human rights organization worldwide after Anti-Slavery International ...
(FIDH) in 2004. He has represented FIDH at the
European Union
The European Union (EU) is a supranational union, supranational political union, political and economic union of Member state of the European Union, member states that are Geography of the European Union, located primarily in Europe. The u ...
in
Brussels
Brussels, officially the Brussels-Capital Region, (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) is a Communities, regions and language areas of Belgium#Regions, region of Belgium comprising #Municipalit ...
, the
International Criminal Court
The International Criminal Court (ICC) is an intergovernmental organization and International court, international tribunal seated in The Hague, Netherlands. It is the first and only permanent international court with jurisdiction to prosecute ...
in
The Hague
The Hague ( ) is the capital city of the South Holland province of the Netherlands. With a population of over half a million, it is the third-largest city in the Netherlands. Situated on the west coast facing the North Sea, The Hague is the c ...
, the
United Nations
The United Nations (UN) is the Earth, global intergovernmental organization established by the signing of the Charter of the United Nations, UN Charter on 26 June 1945 with the stated purpose of maintaining international peace and internationa ...
in
Geneva
Geneva ( , ; ) ; ; . is the List of cities in Switzerland, second-most populous city in Switzerland and the most populous in French-speaking Romandy. Situated in the southwest of the country, where the Rhône exits Lake Geneva, it is the ca ...
and International Council at the
World Social Forum
The World Social Forum (WSF, ) is an annual meeting of civil society organizations, first held in Brazil, which offers a self-conscious effort to develop an alternative future through the championing of counter-hegemonic globalization.
The Worl ...
. He was the executive Secretary of the
Copenhagen
Copenhagen ( ) is the capital and most populous city of Denmark, with a population of 1.4 million in the Urban area of Copenhagen, urban area. The city is situated on the islands of Zealand and Amager, separated from Malmö, Sweden, by the ...
Initiative for
Central America
Central America is a subregion of North America. Its political boundaries are defined as bordering Mexico to the north, Colombia to the southeast, the Caribbean to the east, and the Pacific Ocean to the southwest. Central America is usually ...
and
Mexico
Mexico, officially the United Mexican States, is a country in North America. It is the northernmost country in Latin America, and borders the United States to the north, and Guatemala and Belize to the southeast; while having maritime boundar ...
(CIFCA) for eight years, specializing in the areas of aid and development and the impact of free trade agreements on
human rights
Human rights are universally recognized Morality, moral principles or Social norm, norms that establish standards of human behavior and are often protected by both Municipal law, national and international laws. These rights are considered ...
.
He previously served on the Expert Committee of the Centre National de Coopération au Développement (CNCD) between 1997 and 1998 for the selection of project in
Latin America
Latin America is the cultural region of the Americas where Romance languages are predominantly spoken, primarily Spanish language, Spanish and Portuguese language, Portuguese. Latin America is defined according to cultural identity, not geogr ...
. In April 2018 Pérez visited
Europe
Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...
, and in
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...
he submitted evidence of political murders that occurred in Colombia in 2017 to the International Criminal Court.
In academia, Perez has taught General and Comparative Constitutional Law at the Graduate Department of the Escuela Superior de Administración Pública (ESAP), and Constitutional Law at the Academia Diplomática de
San Carlos. He has also held a professorship at the Law Department of the Universidad Nacional de Colombia.
He has also served as a permanent commentator for the radio program “Radio Air Libre Bruselas” covering issues related to human rights in Latin America and has appeared on several other media outlets.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Perez, Luis Guillermo
Colombian human rights activists
20th-century Colombian lawyers
1951 births
Living people
21st-century Colombian lawyers
National University of Colombia alumni