Patricia Tappatá Valdez is currently the Director of Memoria Abierta, an alliance of five Argentine human rights organizations working together to preserve, organize, and exhibit the documented history of state terrorism in Argentina. Previously, Ms. Valdez was the Director of the Truth Commission for El Salvador, directed the Human Rights Department of the National Conference of Bishops in Peru (1977-1989) and the Political Representation Program at the Fundación Poder Ciudadano in Argentina (1993-1997). In 1985, Ms Valdez co-founded the Coordinadora Nacional de Derechos Humanos in Peru and was a member of its first executive committee. She served at the board of trustees of the Institute for Democracy in South Africa (IDASA) between 1996 and 1999. For three years, Ms Valdez also coordinated a regional program on social responsibility and leadership developed by the Kellogg Foundation in seven countries. Ms Valdez is one of the founding members of the International Coalition of Sites of Conscience and currently serves on its board. She is currently a member of the faculty of the Master in Human Rights International Law program at Buenos Aires University. Ms Valdez has a Bachelor in Social Work from the Universidad Nacional de Córdoba and completed post-graduate studies in social sciences at FLACSO Buenos Aires (Facultad Latinoamericana de Ciencias Sociales).
Trying individuals for genocide, war crimes, crimes against humanity, and aggression