Biography of Bianca Jagger

Bianca Jagger, born Bianca Perez-Mora Macias in Nicaragua on 2 May 1950. She received her formal education at the Institute of Political Science in Paris. For over 20 years, she has campaigned for human rights throughout the world.

During the Nicaraguan Revolution and the Contra War that followed, she condemned human rights violations on all sides. During the ‘80s Bianca Jagger’s campaign brought her to Central America to denounce human rights violations in Guatemala, El Salvador and Honduras, where she exposed government and death squad atrocities against the civilian population. In 1983, she was awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Humanities by Stone Hill College in Massachusetts for her work on behalf of human rights.

For many years, Ms Jagger lectured at colleges and universities in an effort to inform the American people of the tragedies occurring in Central America. She has participated in numerous fact-finding missions of international human rights organisations and United States Congressional Delegations to Central America. Throughout the years, she has testified on several occasions before the United States Congress about Latin America and the former Yugoslavia.

Ms Jagger has also been a strong advocate of women’s rights. Her work with former Manhattan Borough President Ruth Messinger was instrumental in establishing Iris House. The East Harlem facility, dedicated to providing health and social services to women, has been a critical component of New York’s response to the AIDS crisis.

In 1993, Bianca Jagger’s work brought her to the former Yugoslavia to document claims of mass rape of Bosnian women by Serbian forces as part of a campaign of ethnic cleansing. In July 1995, the United Nation’s “Safe area” of Srebrenica in Bosnia was overrun by Bosnian Serb troops. Some 8,000 civilians, virtually the entire male population, were systematically executed. Since then, Ms Jagger has been campaigning on behalf of the families and survivors and she has worked tirelessly to stop the genocide and make all perpetrators accountable before the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia. She has testified before the Helsinki Commission on Human Rights, the United States Congressional Human Rights Caucus, the International Operations Sub-Committee on Human Rights, and the British and European Parliaments in an effort to stop these atrocities. From 1993 to 1996, she evacuated 22 children out of Bosnia to receive medical care to the United States.

Ms Jagger, currently, is a member of the Executive Director’s Leadership Council for Amnesty International USA, a member of the Advisory Committee of Human Rights Watch/America. Ms Jagger also serves on the Advisory Board of the Coalition for International Justice. She is a member of the Twentieth Century Task Force to Apprehend War Criminals, a Board member of People for the American Way and the Creative Coalition, and she is also a special adviser of the Indigenous Development International at the University of Cambridge in the United Kingdom.

As part of her continuing environmental efforts, Ms Jagger has for the last decade been involved in efforts to save the indigenous population and protect the rain forests of Nicaragua, Brazil and other parts of Latin America. She has struggled to protect the indigenous populations of the Western Hemisphere. Through her efforts in 1991, she was instrumental in stopping the rain forest destruction in Nicaragua and Honduras. Ms Jagger petitions the Brazilian Federation Courts to protect the lands of the Guarani peoples of Brazil. Since 1994, she has participated in a similar effort to protect the Yanomami people of Northern Brazil from an invasion of their lands by gold miners who polluted the water and are causing the death of this ancient tribe. In recognition of this action, she was presented the 1994 United Nations Earth Day International Award. And in 1997, she was the recipient of the Green Globe award by the Rain Forest Alliance.

Convinced that she could reach larger audiences through the medium of film she resumed her studies at the Tish School of the Arts at New York University in 1980. She produced and directed a documentary entitled “Nicaragua in Transition” and in the summer of 1998 BBC Newsnight travelled with her to Kosovo to document war crimes and crimes against humanity, committed by the Serbian military and paramilitary forces against the civilian population. She called for the indictment and arrest of President Milosevic.

Ms Jagger has written articles for the op-ed page of the New York Times, the Observer (UK), The Mail on Sunday (UK), The Sunday Express (UK), The New Statesman (UK), Liberation (FR), the Journal du Dimanche (FR), Le Juriste International (FR), Panorama (IT) and the European (UK), to name a few publications.

Awards received

In 1983, Bianca Jagger was awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Humanities degree by Stone Hill College in Massachusetts for her work on behalf of human rights.

In 1994, Bianca Jagger was awarded the United Nations Earth Day International Award for successful efforts to protect livelihood of the indigenous peoples of Latin America and also stopping the rain forest destruction in Nicaragua and Honduras.

On 29 February 1996, Bianca Jagger received the Hispanic Federation of New York City’s Humanitarian award “in recognition for her courageous engagement in issues of justice and human rights around the globe”.

On 28 March 1996, Bianca Jagger was named “1996 Woman of the Year” by Boys Town of Italy for her “unswerving efforts on behalf of children’s rights from all parts of the world”.

On 29 June 1996, Bianca Jagger was the recipient of the “Abolitionist of the Year Award” presented to her on behalf of the National Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty for “her tireless efforts and heroic dedication in achieving clemency for Guinevere Garcia”.

On 12 May 1997, Bianca Jagger was the recipient of the Green Globe Award by the Rainforest Alliance for “her extraordinary conservation efforts and achievements over the past ten years”.

On 23 September 1997, Bianca Jagger was the recipient of Amnesty International/USA media spotlight award for leadership. “In recognition for her work on behalf of human rights around the world. Exposing and focusing attention on injustice.”

On 1 November 1997, Bianca Jagger was inducted to the Hall of Fame in Miami Children’s Hospital Foundation for “championing human rights and children’s causes around the globe”.

On 15 November 1998, Bianca Jagger was awarded the American Civil Liberties Union Award for her “passionate devotion to International Human Rights, opposition to capital punishment and the promotion of civil rights”.

On 4 November 2000, Bianca Jagger received a Champion of Justice award for her work as a steadfast and eloquent advocate for elimination of the death penalty in America.