Adolfo Pérez EsquivelAdolfo Pérez EsquivelAdolfo Pérez Esquivel was honored as "a spokesman of a revival of respect of human rights...having shone a light through the darkness" of Argentina's military rule. Pérez Esquivel left a distinguished career as a sculptor to become a human rights activist and Catholic church lay leader coordinating human rights efforts in Argentina and in all of Latin America. He was mistreated and jailed by the Argentinian military government for 14 months early in his career without charge or trial but persisted in his efforts through the Service for Justice and Peace, which he founded, and through a women's group, Las Damas de Mayo.