Some people have more civil courage and some have more spiritual courage and determination – and some have both in equal measure: that’s what’s the case with Sergio.
His childhood was the least what could be called a happy one. Overshadowed by the antagonism between local Catalonians (his father’s family) and the surrounding ‘Spaniards’ (his mother is from the South of Spain) he grew up almost like an outcast.
But he made his friends on the block where he stood out for his infallible sense for fairness and justice. He didn’t shy away to use the fists to defend that if necessary…
At school Sergio already displayed many talents: he excelled at all subjects, he was athletic and adept in drawing. He realized early that learning English would be a gateway to the wider world so he learnt on his own.
Already from a very young age, Sergio’s studies in philosophy became an aid in making sense of the world. Much of what he read helped him put into words what his own observations and intuition already told him. Through his studies, conversations, fights, Sergio learned to point out the subtleties that lie right in front of everyone, yet no one brings to light as determining factors.
When he was drafted in the army, which happened to be the navy, he was not excited as he becomes utterly seasick once off land – however the lieutenant told the boys to go off downtown for some fun before the training on board was to start, so Sergio went and found his way to a martial arts parlor. There he managed to embroil himself into a fight with left both opponents bruised enough to be taken to hospital; after he came out three weeks later, the marine training had almost finished and he was assigned the phone operator role on shore. In the room opposite him a lieutenant was maltreating young cadets in most inhuman ways on a regular basis. Sergio stood up to him face to face and threatened the man almost to his death, so he had to appear before the commander – who, amazingly, took his point and so the lieutenant was removed from the position and the phone operator stayed on….
Sergio went on to study science at what he excels. He also met his wife, Maritsa, at the age of 23 who has been supporting him ever since. For a living he became a teacher and learned as much from his students as they from him; what he learned was of course the character of people, not that the students could teach him anything.
The couple now live on a plot of land next to the woodlands surrounding his hometown of Barcelona: the scientist and his gang…. Over the years it became a spacious refuge, where friends from near and far alike are welcome and are regularly put to an integrity test by the landlord; those who have failed hardly make it back, the others become part of the team.
Then, four years ago, the Covid-crisis struck. Sergio watched on with wide open eyes how authorities with the help of public media used the emergency to infuse a state of general paranoia accompanied by the successive sealing off of what were deemed to be untouchable human rights: freedom of movement, freedom of choice, freedom of speech to name some key issues. Puzzled with the situation Sergio started to study law with a view to human and political rights only to find out that what was happening was bizarre and partly bending the law, indeed. He passed his exams anyway and the thesis for that bears the title “Human Rights Law and Covid19”. On the third last page a conclusion is drawn via an analysis of two differing verdicts by the courts of Andalucia and Galicia: “In summary, the Andalucian and Galician verdicts refer to the law of balancing and exemplify that 1) items can be introduced and measured in opposite ways, 2) the rule of proportionality is being exploited during the Covid19 pandemic and 3) main criticisms to the rule, such as balancing harms versus benefits that are otherwise incommensurate, are being ignored.”
And what’s next? Well, Sergio has formed “Nomos Association” which examines the relation between law, politics and social issues and where people may come together to voice their concern regarding human rights and the public interest in a free, unbiased and critically open fashion; interest groups are not admitted. – We wish him and all of us success with that intrinsically human grassroots movement!
tap/10-‘23
His thesis is available on amazon: https://www.amazon.ae/Human-Rights-Law-Covid19-individual/dp/B0BB5YSP31