A poster on a fence in the Plaza de Mayo in Buenos Aires caught my eye. It made me stop and look. It was the action of the men in the background, however, that made the scene compelling. 

​I feel honoured that the photograph I made of that scene has just been selected in the Allard Prize Photo Competition. 

The headline of the poster proclaims “31 Years of Denial & Neglect” in support of veterans of the Guerra del Atlántico Sur (Falklands War). Claims of inhuman treatment of conscript soldiers by their officers have been widely aired but little resolved. Suicide has reportedly stalked as many as 454 of the Argentinian veterans. History will judge whether this war was launched for national identity or as the act of a desperate junta. What I do feel is that a government’s decision to go to war always falls most heavily on its citizens.

My photograph shows one instance of people striving for recognition and justice. Photographers from India, Italy, France and Germany have had images similarly recognized by the Allard Photo Competition. It is run the UBC Faculty of Law in conjunction with the Allard Prize for International Integrity which recognizes efforts to promote transparency, leadership and rule of law around the globe. 

posted by Ted Nodwell