Inter-American Commissioners Elected to New Posts
The seven members of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights elected new officers last week. The new Chair, First Vice-Chair and Second Vice-Chair are Felipe González, Paulo Sergio Pinheiro and Dinah Shelton, respectively. Commissioner Shelton is one of four members who joined the Commission this year.
Inter-American Commission Holds 138th Ordinary Session
The 138th Period of Sessions is underway at the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights’ DC headquarters, where the seven commissioners are presiding over hearings and holding deliberative sessions, to review issues of concern in the hemisphere and decide on the admissibility and merits of individual petitions. Access the audio and video recordings of the hearings here.
IACHR Urges Protection for Freedom of Expression
Over the last week, the IACHR Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Expression condemned the deaths of journalists in Colombia, Honduras and Mexico.
Relatedly, the Inter-American Commission expressed its concern for the situation of Guillermo Fariñas, a journalist and human rights defender imprisoned in Cuba. In 2006, the Commission considered a petition submitted on behalf of Mr. Fariñas and other political prisoners and determined that Cuba had violated the American Declaration.