MartÃn Almada
Martín Almada ( born in 1937 in Puerto Sastre, Paraguay ) is a human rights activist from Paraguay.
Almada worked as an elementary school teacher in San Lorenzo. Together with his wife Celestina Pérez de Almada in 1963 he founded the Institute " Juan Bautista Alberdi ".
In 1968, he completed a study of law and became a lawyer. He worked mainly for trade unions. In 1974 he was kidnapped by security forces from Argentina and held prisoner until 1977. During this time he was tortured repeatedly. Due to various campaigns of human rights organizations, he was released in 1977 by the regime Alfredo Stroessner. In 1978 he was granted political asylum in Panama. By the end of 1992, he worked for UNESCO in Paris. In addition, he engaged tirelessly in human rights issues.
In 1992 he returned to Paraguay.
2002 Right Livelihood Award (Alternative Nobel Prize ) awarded him.