Diane Rodriguez Zambrano
"As we celebrate the courage and commitment of 5 exceptional human rights defenders it is a matter of deep concern that all of the Finalists for this year's Front Line Defenders Award are either in jail, in hiding or face the threat of jail simply because they have the courage to defend the rights of others" said Mary Lawlor, Executive Director, Front Line Defenders.
Diane Rodríguez Zambrano Testimony
Even if I do not enjoy those rights, I continue so that other generations can live without discrimination and violence.
Being an activist is to generate impact in promoting peace.
Diane Marie Rodríguez Zambrano is a transgender male to female activist in human rights, sexuality, LGBT rights in Ecuador and post-feminist who is currently the transgender-chair of the "Silueta X Association" and representative of "Observatory LGBTI of Ecuador". In 2009 she created a legal precedent in favor of the transgender population, to sue the Civil Registry to change her masculine name Luis Benedicto to the feminine Diane Marie. During the general elections in Ecuador 2013, she became the first openly transgender and LGBTI candidate to run for elected office in Ecuador.
Human rights defenders have been victims of a wide range of violations in Ecuador, such as police brutality, judicial harassment, arbitrary detentions, smear campaigns, threats, harassment and the oppression of indigenous and campesino communities. Recent incidents have shown that the situation for human rights defenders in Ecuador is precarious.
