Mario Calixto Explained

Mario Calixto
Birth Date:	c. 1959
Nationality:	Colombian
Occupation:	human rights activist
Awards:	Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights Award (1998)

Mario Calixto (born c. 1959^[1]) is a Colombian human rights activist.

In the 1990s, Calixto was the president of the Human Rights Committee of Sabana de Torres and was repeatedly threatened by paramilitary groups for his denunciations of their activities. On 23 December 1997, two armed men attempted to kidnap him from his home, but were prevented by the presence of observers from Peace Brigades International.^[2]

In 1998, he won the Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights Award along with fellow Colombian activists Berenice Celeyta, Gloria Florez, and Jaime Prieto Mendez. As of that year, he was living in exile in Spain.^[3]

Notes and References

1. Web site: Four Activists Deplore Tide of Violence . 10 November 1998 . The Miami Herald . 5 July 2012.
2. Book: Reychler, Luc . Peacebuilding: A Field Guide . Thania Paffenholz . 2001 . Lynne Rienner Publishers . 978-1555879372 . 28 . 5 July 2012.
3. Web site: 1998: Berenice Celeyta, Gloria Florez, Jaime Prieto, and Mario Calixto . Robert F. Kennedy Center for Justice and Human Rights . 5 July 2012 . dead . https://archive.today/20130415170324/http://rfkcenter.org/1998-berenice-celeyta-gloria-florez-jaime-prieto-a-mario-calixto-colombia-12 . 15 April 2013 .