The Leitner Center awarded Mr. Yerko Ilijic Crosa from Bolivia with its Annual Human Rights Prize at the Center’s Annual Dinner on March 4, 2013. A human rights lawyer and advocate focusing on criminal justice, Yerko works to promote popular cultural mechanisms to increase society’s understanding of and access to justice. Yerko has also worked for the protection of the human rights of women, children and indigenous persons, including civil and labor rights for those held as slaves.
Mr. Yerko Ilijic Crosa studied philosophy and sociology at the University del Valle in Cochabamba, Bolivia and law at both the Catholic University of Bolivia in La Paz and the University Westfàlica Wilhelms in Muenster, Germany. He has worked on development projects, legal and education programs, as well as campaigns for the government of Germany, the Bolivian Ministry of Justice, and the Chilean Ministry of Justice.