On December 7, IJRC hosted Boston Human Rights Night, bringing together the legal, academic and social just communities to learn about one another’s work and discuss the relevance of international law and mechanisms to their advocacy efforts. Panelists Gabor Rona (Human Rights First), Martha Davis (Program on Human Rights and the Global Economy), Christy Fujio (Physicians for Human Rights), John
Read moreCategory: Inter-American System
Inter-American Court in Session through December 3
The Inter-American Court of Human Rights is in session in San Jose, Costa Rica through December 3. [IACtHR] During this 93rd Regular Period of Sessions, the Court will hold public hearings on two contentious cases (Néstor José and Luis Uzcátegui et al. v. Venezuela, and Díaz Peña v. Venezuela) and on compliance with three previous judgments (Yakye Axa, Sawhoyamaxa and Xákmok Kásek Indigenous Communities v. Paraguay, and Mapiripán
Read moreUruguay: Moving closer toward accountability?
Lisl Brunner contributes this post on recent developments in Uruguay’s compliance with the Gelman v. Uruguay judgment of the Inter-American Court of Human Rights, in follow-up to her article, Is Uruguay Foundering on the Path to Accountability?: The Aftermath of the Gelman decision of the Inter-American Court, published this summer in the American Society of International Law newsletter Accountability. ___________________________ by Lisl Brunner Uruguay has
Read moreA Milestone in Human Rights Protection in the Americas: 1st witness to use Legal Assistance Fund Testifies
Santiago Canton tweeted earlier this week that the first witness to use the Legal Assistance Fund would be testifying before the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights during its current period of sessions. The witness appeared to provide testimony in a case involving the plight of the Buzos Miskitos, indigenous fishermen divers who work in dangerous conditions in a remote area
Read moreIACHR Hearings – Thursday, October 27
On Thursday, the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights will hold hearings on a range of human rights topics and cases. Hearings to be held in the Padilha Vidal Room (webcast here) will address: various topics concerning Colombia (violence against women, peasant land control, labor unions, and the general human rights situation), rights to territory and self-governance of the indigenous peoples in
Read moreCEJIL Documentary Highlights Plight of Miskito Communities Dependent on Dangerous Fishing Industry
The Center for Justice and International Law [CEJIL] has released a documentary on the plight of indigenous Miskito fisherman divers along the Caribbean coasts of Honduras and Nicaragua, where inadequate work safety protections, medical treatment, and compensation for injuries suffered in this increasingly-dangerous occupation have left many families in desperate situations. CEJIL and local organizations have presented a petition to the
Read moreIACtHR's 44th Extraordinary Session: Hearing Today on Father's Rights in Adoption Process
As the Inter-American Court of Human Rights holds its 44th Extraordinary Session in Barbados from October 10 to 14, it will hear arguments in the case of Fornerón v. Argentina (paternal consent in adoption proceedings) and host a seminar and roundtable discussion focused on Caribbean engagement with the Inter-American System. This session marks the first time the Court has convened
Read moreColombia Apologizes for 1994 Extrajudicial Execution of Political Party Leader
Colombia issued a public apology, recognizing its international responsibility for the 1994 extrajudicial execution of communist Senator Manuel Cepeda Vargas in accordance with a judgment issued against the State by the Inter-American Court of Human Rights. [IACHR; El Tiempo] The state’s apology was one of the measures of reparation ordered by the Court last year. The Inter-American Commission had alleged, and the
Read moreRight to Prior Consultation Highlighted on International Day of Indigenous Peoples
On August 9, the International Day of Indigenous Peoples, the Inter-American Commission and the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights highlighted the importance of procedural safeguards that adequately protect indigenous communities’ land rights and way of life – including the right to prior consultation on projects or policies that will impact them. [IACHR; OHCHR] The right to prior consultation is also
Read moreFreeze on Prison Admissions May Fill Police Station Holding Cells, as Venezuela Attempts to Reduce Historic Overcrowding
Venezuelan police station holding cells are filling up as the country’s new prisons minister orders a freeze on new admissions to the violent, overcrowded prisons operating at nearly 400% capacity. [Washington Post] Venezuelan prisons are known to be effectively run by armed gangs, house inmates in inhumane conditions, and be the scene of numerous violent uprisings and clashes between prisoners
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