Nela Martinez

Overview

Nela Martínez Espinoza born Colloctor, Cañar, Ecuador November 24, 1912 (d. 2004). Defender of international human rights. Co-founded Alianza Femenina Ecuatoriana (Ecuadorian Women's Alliance), 1937. Communist leader of Glorious May Revolution, overthrowing dictator Carlos Arroyo del Rio, 1944. First woman in Ecuadorian parliament, 1944-45. Joined World Council for Peace, Paris, 1949. Co-founded Frente Continental de Mujeres por la Paz y Contra la Intervención (Women's Continental Front for Peace and Against Intervention), 1984. Opposed nuclear weapons. Nobel Peace Prize nominee, 2005.

Quotations

“Quito was taken by the people without even a single violent action. I was moved by the presence of the women who were there day and night with their children, carrying them on their backs or holding them by their hands. That powerful symbol was enough to enable us to liberate those persecuted and confined as political prisoners. It was not necessary to resort to repression to gain peace.” (Peace Women Across the Globe: Martinez; photo fotosimagines)