Jorge Antonio Aja Espil

Jorge Antonio Aja Espil was a lawyer and constitutional scholar who also served as ambassador to Colombia and the United States. He studied at the University of Buenos Aires, became a substitute justice of the Supreme Court, and held leadership roles in national legal and political science academies. His publications addressed constitutional powers, international law, human rights, and the law of the sea. ¹

His Washington mission under the military dictatorship confronted the Carter administration's human rights policy. In March 1977, Aja Espil delivered Argentina's formal refusal to use American military sales credits for the following fiscal year after Washington reduced them. He rejected the accusation that his government committed gross human rights violations and objected to learning of the American decision through public testimony and the press. ²

Deputy Secretary Warren Christopher accepted the note but emphasized that stable relations required the rule of law and protection of human rights. ²

Aja Espil later remained active in legal scholarship and the Argentine Council for International Relations, where he served as vice-president. He received the Konex award for diplomacy in 1988 and died in 2005. ¹