The Academy on Human Rights and Humanitarian Law at American University Washington College of Law will be hosting, together with the Embassy of Uruguay in the United States and the Mission of Uruguay to the Organization of American States (OAS), as well as the Washington Office on Latin America (WOLA), the Center for Justice and International Law (CEJIL), and the Due Process of Law Foundation (DPLF), a conference on April 16 commemorating the 50th anniversary of Operation Condor.

This event will bring together leading scholars, practitioners, diplomats, and students to reflect on Operation Condor, a coordinated campaign of transnational repression carried out by military regimes in the Southern Cone during the 1970s. The conference aims to honor the victims and their families, while fostering critical discussion on the historical, legal, and institutional responses that have shaped efforts toward accountability, justice, and memory.

The program will feature two panel discussions as following: 

1. From the National Security Doctrine to the Implementation of Operation Condor in the Southern Cone

This panel will explore the origins and development of Operation Condor, focusing on the role of the “National Security Doctrine” in shaping state policies across the region. Panelists will examine how intelligence coordination among Southern Cone dictatorships enabled systematic repression across borders, targeting political opponents and perceived dissidents. The discussion will also consider the broader political and ideological context of the Cold War, as well as the mechanisms through which state terror was organized and executed.

Speakers include: Robert Goldman (Professor of Law, American University Washington College of Law; former President of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights), Claudio Grossman (Professor of Law, American University Washington College of Law; Dean Emeritus; former President of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights), Andrea Pochak (Commissioner and Rapporteur, Inter-American Commission on Human Rights), and Naomi Roht-Arriaza (Professor, University of California; President of the Board of the Due Process of Law Foundation). The panel will be moderated by Carolina Jiménez Sandoval (President, Washington Office on Latin America).

2. Landmark Cases and the Pursuit of Justice in National and International Jurisdictions

The second panel will bring together a distinguished group of experts in international human rights law to analyze key cases and legal strategies that have advanced accountability for crimes committed under Operation Condor. Panelists will discuss the challenges posed by amnesty laws and impunity measures, as well as the critical role of international human rights bodies in reopening investigations and securing convictions. The discussion will highlight emblematic cases, including those involving clandestine detention centers, and will reflect on ongoing efforts to ensure justice, reparations, and guarantees of non-repetition.

Speakers include: Viviana Krsticevic (Executive Director, Center for Justice and International Law), Juan E. Méndez (former United Nations Special Rapporteur on Torture), Pablo Ouviña (Argentine Prosecutor involved in the ESMA and Operation Condor trials), and Ariela Peralta (Member of the United Nations Group of Human Rights Experts on Nicaragua). The panel will be moderated by Claudia Martin (Co-Director, Academy on Human Rights and Humanitarian Law, American University Washington College of Law).

Event details are as follows:
Date: Thursday, April 16
Time: 9:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.
Location: Room NT01, Washington College of Law, American University (4300 Nebraska Ave NW)

There will be also lunch served at the end of the event.

We warmly invite you to join us for this important commemoration and discussion. Please feel free to share this invitation with colleagues and students who may be interested.