The two bodies of the Inter-American human rights system will be in session this month to consider issues of concern in the Americas and to receive testimony in pending contentious cases. The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights will hold its 147th Session from March 7 to 22, with public hearings taking place on March 11-12 and 14-16 at the Commission’s headquarters in Washington, D.C., USA. The Inter-American Court of Human Rights will hold its 47th Extraordinary Period of Sessions from March 18 to 22 in Medellín, Colombia.
Inter-American Commission’s Hearing Schedule
The Commission’s schedule includes both thematic and case hearings, involving a wide range of issues and more than 20 of the 35 countries subject to its jurisdiction.
The Commission will hold hearings related to the admissibility or merits of the following cases:
- Case 12.700 – Agustín Zegarra Marín, Peru (Merits) (admissibility report here)
- Case 12.229 – Digna Ochoa y otros, Mexico (Admissibility)
- Case 12.846 – Mariana Selvas Gómez et al, Mexico (Merits – Testimony) (admissibility report here)
Thematic hearings will address the following topics:
Vulnerable Groups: Women, Children, Sexual Minorities, Indigenous Peoples, and Human Rights Defenders
- Afro-descendant women in Brazil, and in Colombia
- complaints of occupation of indigenous peoples’ territories in Costa Rica
- personal integrity of women and girls in Nicaragua
- right to life of indigenous women and girls in Canada
- indigenous peoples in Canada
- human rights of women in Colombia, and in Argentina
- the Rarámuri and Tepehuán indigenous peoples in the Sierra Tarahumara of Chihuahua, Mexico
- situation of justice operators in Guatemala
- school violence against children in the Americas
- situation of the indigenous peoples in the National Park Isiboro Secure in Bolivia
- women deprived of liberty in Bolivia
- situation of children, and of women in Haiti
- situation of women and girls in El Salvador
- defenders of sexual and reproductive rights in Colombia
- situation of LGBTI persons in the Americas
- situation of lesbian women in the Americas
- LGBTI indigenous persons in the Americas
Detention, Crime and Criminal Justice
- persons deprived of liberty (detainees or prisoners) in Cuba, and at Guantanamo
- solitary confinement in the Americas
- women deprived of liberty in Bolivia
- citizen security (crime) in the Dominican Republic
- the death penalty in the Americas (Costa Rica, Ecuador, Mexico and Panama will participate)
- judicial independence and preventive prison in the Americas
- situation of persons deprived of liberty in Venezuela
- citizen security in Haiti
Freedom of Expression and Protest
- community radios in Brazil
- the right to freedom of expression in Cuba, in Peru, in Ecuador, in Haiti
- social protest in Peru
- freedom of expression of indigenous peoples in Guatemala
Migrants’ Rights
- measures on human trafficking in the United States
- hiring practices under the H-2 visa program in the United States
- migration and the rights of children in the Americas
General Human Rights Situations
- Peru, Chile, Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras, Paraguay, Venezuela, and El Salvador (separate hearings)
Identity and Nationality
- the right to nationality of Dominicans of Haitian origin
- access to an identity card and effective judicial remedies in Nicaragua
- statelessness and human rights in the Americas
Other
- constitutional reforms in Colombia
- extrajudicial execution complaints in Colombia
- human rights priorities and legislative harmonization in Mexico
- public policy on reparations to victims of the internal armed conflict in Guatemala
- forced disappearances in the Americas
- persons recruited for the extraction of rubber in Brazil
The hearings will be webcast live in English and in Spanish, and audio and video recordings will be available here. Members of the public may attend the Commission’s hearings and are not required to register in advance. All hearings will take place in the Commission’s headquarters are 1889 F Street, NW, Washington, D.C. For details of the time and location of each hearing, consult the schedule.
Inter-American Court’s 47th Extraordinary Session
The Inter-American Court of Human Rights will travel away from its seat in San Jose, Costa Rica to hold its 47th Extraordinary Session in Colombia from March 18 to 22. The Court will hold three public hearings on individual cases, and offer a specialized educational course on human rights. Its hearings and events will be webcast live here.
On March 18 and 19, the Court will hold a hearing in the case of Camba Campos et al (“Justices of the Constitutional Court”) v. Ecuador, which concerns the allegedly arbitrary dismissal of eight Constitutional Court judges via an ad hoc procedure not provided for under domestic law. Read the Commission’s referral and merits report on the case here.
The Court will hear arguments in the case of the Family Pacheco Tineo v. Bolivia on March 19 and 20. The family alleges they were unlawfully deported from Bolivia to Peru when their request for recognition of refugee status was denied summarily and without regard for due process protections. Additional details are available in the Commission’s press release announcing its referral of the case to the Court.
On Wednesday, March 20, the Court will hold a hearing in the case of García Lucero et al v. Chile, which concerns the alleged lack of investigation and reparation of torture suffered by Mr. García Lucero during the Pinochet era. The Commission’s merits report and letter referring the case to the Court are available here.
On March 21 and 22, the Court will host a seminar entitled “The Inter-American Human Rights System: Trends and Complementarities.” Those interested in attending should register in advance.
IJRC has produced several informational materials, including an advocacy manual and animated video, on the Inter-American human rights system to help victims and advocates understand and effectively engage with the Commission and Court.