Annette Martínez-Orabona

Annette Martínez-Orabona is a lawyer, researcher, and human rights advocate. Her extensive litigation experience has led her to represent victims of severe human rights violations in both local and international judicial forums, including cases against the U.S. government and nations in Latin America and the Caribbean. She has defended the rights of people deprived of liberty in Puerto Rico due to inhumane conditions and coordinated litigation related to Guantanamo, in addition to promoting the rights of immigrants at the Center for Justice and International Law (CEJIL).

She founded the first human rights clinic in the Caribbean and an institute dedicated to their study and promotion. As the director of the Human Rights Clinic at Interamerican University, she facilitated visits by UN Special Rapporteurs and led public hearings to denounce systematic human rights violations in Puerto Rico. Her research has focused on crucial issues such as climate displacement, statelessness, debt, and rights, always prioritizing work with marginalized communities.

Martínez was a visiting assistant professor at the University of Pittsburgh School of Law, where she directed a project that provided legal representation to refugees. She graduated from the University of Puerto Rico, earned her law degree from Interamerican University of Puerto Rico, and completed a Master's in International Public Law at The Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy.