[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 146 (2000), Part 12]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages 17202-17203]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



       IN MEMORY OF GINETTA SAGIN--PIONEER HUMAN RIGHTS ACTIVIST

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. TOM LANTOS

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, September 6, 2000

  Mr. LANTOS. Mr. Speaker, I wish to call the attention of my 
colleagues in the House to the passing of a dear, dear personal friend 
and a true giant in the struggle for human rights. Just a few days ago, 
on Friday, August 25, Ginetta Sagan died of cancer at the age of 75.
  I know that all of my colleagues who had the good fortune to know and 
work with her, and I know there are many here today who share my 
tremendous feeling of loss for not only a stalwart defender for human 
rights and humanity around the world, but also a true and wonderful 
personal friend and outstanding human being.
  Mr. Speaker, the President of the United States appropriately honored 
the lifetime achievements of this remarkable woman when he awarded her 
the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1994, the highest civilian honor 
our nation can bestow. Throughout her life, she has brought healing, 
justice, and mercy to the oppressed and has helped to change the 
thinking of those who are in positions of power and authority.
  Born in Milan, Italy, to a Jewish mother and Catholic father, Ginetta 
Sagan first worked against the fascists at the early age of 17, 
bringing clothes and food coupons to Jews in hiding. Her mother and 
father were arrested by Mussolini's Black Brigade in 1943 and did not 
survive the war. In 1943, Ginetta--and she almost always went only by 
her first name--worked as a courier for the Italian resistance, using 
her nickname Topolino, or ``Little Mouse.'' Ginetta was only 5 feet 
tall, but she had the energy and the power of a giant. She helped to 
transport more than 300 fugitives and thousands of pamphlets through 
the Italian Alps, before she was betrayed and arrested in early 1945.
  Mr. Speaker, for over a month and a half, she was beaten, burned, 
electrically shocked and raped. On April 23, 1945--the very day 
scheduled for her execution--she managed to escape with the help of the 
Italian Resistance and two friendly German officers. In the deep 
dungeons of her Fascist torturers, where all hope is lost and only pain 
and fear live, Ginetta Sagin found her deep and unshakable commitment 
to human rights. It was there that she found her incredible strength to 
work tirelessly on behalf of the downtrodden. When a guard tossed her a 
loaf of bread, she found a matchbox with a slip of paper hidden inside. 
Inscribed on this piece of paper was only one word, which epitomizes 
her whole life: the Italian word Coraggio--Courage. Ginetta later named 
the first newsletter for Amnesty International Matchbox, reflecting 
this very moving experience.
  After the war, Mr. Speaker, Ginetta attended the prestigious Sorbonne 
University in Paris. She continued her study of child development in 
1951 at the University of Chicago, where she met and married Leonard 
Sagan, a medical student who later became a public health physician. 
After living in Washington, DC., Boston and Japan, the Sagans moved to 
my home state of California in 1968. Leonard Sagan died in 1977.
  While living in Washington, DC., Ginetta began her lifelong work with 
Amnesty International, the London-based human rights organization. 
Ginetta helped found the United States chapter of this world-wide 
organization and, as its honorary chairwoman, worked tirelessly for its 
goals.
  Mr. Speaker, Amnesty International annually awards a prize named in 
Ginetta's honor in recognition of her outstanding service and 
leadership on behalf of women and children's rights. Not surprisingly, 
as soon as she reached the Bay Area in California, she gathered like-
minded activists and founded Amnesty International's Western Regional 
Office. In addition, Ginetta created the Aurora Foundation in order to 
investigate and campaign actively against torture in postwar Vietnam. 
The Foundation continues to play a crucial role in supporting human 
rights activists around the world.
  Ginetta also actively campaigned against human rights abuses in 
Chile, Greece, Algeria, Poland, the Philippines and South Africa. In 
1971, Ginetta organized a concert in Berkeley to raise funds for 
political prisoners in Greece. The concert, which featured her friend, 
folk singer Joan Baez, and Greek entertainer Melina Mercouri, drew some 
10,000 people.

[[Page 17203]]

  Mr. Speaker, the San Francisco Chronicle, in its obituary of her 
published on August 29, quotes Julianne Cartwright Taylor, chair of 
Amnesty International USA Board of Directors: ``Her [Ginetta's] legacy 
is a constant reminder that our role is vital, and that without the 
work of human rights defenders, thousands upon thousands of individuals 
would be affected for the worst.''
  In addition to her outstanding human rights work, this energetic 
woman found time to become an accomplished cook and cookbook author. 
She taught cooking classes for congressional spouses and was also an 
outstanding gardener. A species of orchids is named in her honor.
  Mr. Speaker, Ginetta Sagan is survived by three sons--Loring, Duncan 
and Pico--as well as six grandchildren.

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