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 ...
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, 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 ...
in
New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the U ...
. 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, 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 . In 1980, the U.S. justice ruled in favor of the Filártiga family, granting them a compensation of US$10.4 million in ''
Filártiga v. Peña-Irala
''Filártiga v. Peña-Irala'', 630 F.2d 876 ( 2d Cir. 1980), was a landmark case in United States and international law. It set the precedent for United States federal courts to punish non-American citizens for tortious acts committed outside the ...
''.
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 Sena ...
, 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 o ...