September 15

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Women peacemakers born today

  • 1939 Elizabeth Odio Benito born Punta Arenas, Costa Rica (d. 1993). International justice and human rights defender; Yugoslav War Crimes tribunal 1993-8; vice president International Criminal Court 2003; instrumental in ruling that rape is torture; judge in conviction of Thomas Lubanga for war crime of recruiting child soldiers 2012.

  • 1955 Xue Hanqin born Shanghai. Fourth woman justice of World Court 2010; Director General Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs 199-2003; Ambassador to Netherlands 2002-8; first Chinese ambassador to ASEAN 2008; Chairman of the International Law Commission 2010; leader of Asian Society of International Law.

  • 1963 Lidia Yusupova born Grozny, Chechnya. Russian human rights activist, called "the bravest woman in Europe" (BBC) who exposed disaster of Chechen war; Nobel Prize nominee; Ennals Award for human rights defenders 2004, Rafto Prize for human rights 2005.

Women's peacemaking on this day

  • 1906 Satyagrahi Punia tried and rearrested for nonviolent protest.

  • 1913 Kasturba Gandhi led civil disobedience in final phase of Satyagraha.

  • 1953 Vijaya Pandit elected first woman President of UN General Assembly.

  • 1963 Four girls killed in civil rights movement 16th Street Church, Birmingham AL; one 11 years old, others 14.

  • 1971 First Greenpeace action ship sailed from Vancouver for Kamchatka to protest nuclear tests.

  • 1979 Over 1000 women met Cologne in Women’s Congress Against Nuclear Power and Militarism.

  • 1993 Gabrielle McDonald appointed first woman war crimes judge by UN General Assembly.

  • 2001 Rep. Barbara Lee cast only vote against use of force which allowed Iraq War.

  • 2008 Three women arrested for antiwar protest, Madison, WI.

  • 2015 Andrea Mercado led 100 Women on beginning of 100-mile walk from York, PA to Washington DC to protest immigrant detentions.