Peru's Historic Lima Bar Association Grants Top Honor to Ecocide Law Advocates
Summary
The Ilustre Colegio de Abogados de Lima (Lima Bar Association) has placed the legal recognition of ecocide at the center of its highest civic distinction, the Medalla Cívica del Derecho (Civic Medal of Law), by awarding the medal to Jojo Mehta, CEO and co-founder, and Rodrigo Lledó Vásquez, Americas Director, both of Stop Ecocide International.
The award recognises national and international figures whose professional, academic, or public service advances the highest principles of law, the administration of justice, and the defence of human rights and the environment. In honouring Jojo Mehta and Rodrigo Lledó Vásquez, it stands as a recognition from one of Latin America’s oldest legal institutions and the capital’s legal profession that making ecocide a crime is now a serious matter for the law.
Rodrigo Lledó Vásquez, Americas Director, Stop Ecocide International, said:
"When one of Latin America's oldest bar associations grants its highest civic honour to the cause of ecocide law, it sends an unambiguous signal: the gravest environmental destruction belongs within the architecture of justice and human rights. At the International Criminal Court, Vanuatu, Samoa, and Fiji are leading an amendment initiative now backed by the DRC to recognise ecocide as a fifth international crime.
“In Latin America, this momentum is translating into national action: Peru advances unified legislation, Argentina's Senate debates it, the Dominican Republic tables draft law. Recent advisory opinions from the Inter-American Court of Human Rights and the International Court of Justice have clarified that preventing severe and irreversible harm is a binding state duty, a norm approaching jus cogens. Legal systems are catching up to moral necessity, strengthening protection for communities and their defenders."
Resolución Decanal Nº 05 / Dean’s Resolution No. 05 (26 September 2025): Medalla Cívica del Derecho / Civic Medal of Law awarded to Mg. Jojo Mehta / Jojo Mehta.
Resolución Decanal Nº 06 / Dean’s Resolution No. 06 (26 September 2025): Medalla Cívica del Derecho / Civic Medal of Law awarded to Dr. Rodrigo Lledó Vásquez / Dr. Rodrigo Lledó Vásquez.