Digna Ochoa was a famous human rights attorney from Jalapa, Veracruz, Mexico who won international awards for her work.  She took on the most sensitive issues facing Mexico in its transition from an authoritarian past toward a more democratic future.  Her cases often highlighted the illegal influence of  economic interests over the criminal justice system to target social activitists.   


She was kidnapped several times because of her work.  In August 2000, she went into exile in Washington, DC, USA. While in exile, she was presented with Amnesty International's "Enduring Spirit" Award in Los Angeles by actor Martin Sheen.  After returning to Mexico City in 2001, she was assassinated in the law office where she worked on October 19, 2001.

"Anger is energy, it’s a force. If an act of injustice doesn’t provoke anger in me, it could be seen as indifference, passivity.  It’s injustice that motivates us to do something, to take risks, knowing that if we don’t, things will remain the same."
                                                                                                                                                                               - Digna Ochoa