351: Investigating War Crimes and Fighting for Human Rights in Chiapas, Guatemala, Ivory Coast, Sierra Leone, Iraq, Cambodia and Palestine with Etelle Higonnet

Hear stories about standing up for human rights around the world and struggling for truth, accountability and justice.

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ON THIS EPISODE

Etelle Higonnet joins Matt for a wine night from Copenhagen, and begins by talking about her role as a founding member of the Sustainable Wine Round table.  She then describes her family background, her experience moving around growing up, and how her passion for social justice developed.  Etelle talks about her college experience at Yale and what compelled her to move to Guatemala to work with refugees and displaced people.  She describes a scary encounter there with masked gunmen and her eventual publication a book on the U.S.-backed genocide in Guatemala.  Etelle then talks about spending time in Chiapas, Mexico, supporting a lawsuit brought by indigenous women, and attending a speech by Subcommandante Marcos, the spokesperson of the Zapatista movement. Next, she describes her experience working for Human Rights Watch and investigating crimes of sexual violence in the Ivory Coast after the 2007 civil war.  Etelle also talks about her time living in Iraq documenting testimonies from victims of political violence, her human rights work with Amnesty International in Sierra Leone, and her role in helping establish the Cambodian war crimes tribunal.  She reflects on the history and legacy of French colonialism, the need for post-colonial justice systems, and shares some human rights victories in Ivory Coast and Sierra Leone.  Finally, Etelle offers her insights, strategies, and encouragement to everyone working to stop the genocide in Palestine.  ⁠

→ Full show notes with direct links to everything discussed are available here.

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