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Tools for Academic Research on Human Rights in Latin America: the

Inter-American Human Rights System

Gloria Orrego Hoyos

Legal Information Management / Volume 15 / Issue 02 / June 2015, pp 108 - 115

DOI: 10.1017/S1472669615000298, Published online: 19 June 2015

Link to this article: http://journals.cambridge.org/abstract_S1472669615000298

How to cite this article:

Gloria Orrego Hoyos (2015). Tools for Academic Research on Human Rights in Latin America: the Inter-American Human
Rights System. Legal Information Management, 15, pp 108-115 doi:10.1017/S1472669615000298

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 Legal Information Management, 15 (2015), pp. 108–115
© The Author(s) 2015. Published by British and Irish Association of Law Librarians doi:10.1017/S1472669615000298

Tools for Academic Research on

Human Rights in Latin America: the
Inter-American Human Rights System

Abstract: The article below, which is written by Gloria Orrego Hoyos, presents an
overview of the Inter-American Human Rights System, its main instruments, its organs
for the protection and promotion of human rights in the Americas and the available tools
for the academic research and the activism in the vindication for human rights in the
region. This information is presented from the contextualization of the system within a
history of violation of human rights in the region, and the role of both the Inter-
American Convention and the Inter-American Court in the transformation of the social,
political and institutional realities of the people of the continent.
Keywords: human rights; legal sources; legal research; Inter-American Human Rights
System; Latin America

INTRODUCTION TO THE INTER In the particular issue of Human Rights, the Inter-
AMERICAN HUMAN RIGHTS SYSTEM American system has faced enormous challenges for
the historical context in which it has developed. Unlike
The Inter-American System of Human Rights is the e.g. the European system of human rights, which have
framework for the promotion and protection of human primarily democracies with strong and independent
rights in the Americas continent, and provides to the judicial power, the Inter American system has had to
people of the region, who have suffered violation of their deal with military dictatorships3, violent repressions,
human rights by the State, a legal source and judicial pro- intimidation to the judiciary, and several violations of
cedure to ensure their rights. people’s rights4.
The system is based on the American Declaration of
the Rights and Duties of Man, adopted in 1948 -the OAS
Charter (1948)- and the American Convention on
Human Rights, signed in 1969 and in force since 1978.
A. The American Declaration of the
This duplicity of founding documents and the supplemen-
tary agreements of specific content that have come into
Rights and Duties of Man (1948)5
force over the years, make the human rights system more Adopted by the member states of the OAS in 1948 in
complex compared to others. Bogotá, Colombia; was the first international human
The system is provided with regular reports, mechanisms rights document (of the general nature) in the world.
of individual complaints alleging violations of rights protected Today, it is a basic human rights instrument for the pro-
by the various instruments, and legal proceedings in which a tection of victims of human rights violations in those
court exercises its jurisdiction over a claim already dealt by a states of the OAS that have not yet ratified the American
system of requests.1 The founding documents support the Convention.6
jurisdiction of both the Inter-American Commission on The Declaration sets a comprehensive list of civil and
Human Rights (IACHR), based in Washington DC, and the political rights and additional economic, social and cul-
Inter-American Court of Human Rights in San José de Costa tural rights for the people of the signatory states, and in
Rica (with only jurisdiction in contentious cases linked for its second part, the duties of those citizens.
the states parties to the Convention)2. Although the Declaration is not a binding treaty, both
In general, the Inter-American system has given to the the Inter-American Commission and the Inter American
region a normative and institutional set, establishing Court have established that “today the American
mechanisms to ensure the domestic compliance with the Declaration constitutes a source of international obliga-
international obligations for states. tions for the Member States of the OAS”.7

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 Tools for Academic Research on Human Rights in Latin America

B. The American Convention on Human man, which do not derive from being a national of a
Rights – Pact of San José (1969) certain state, but are based upon attributes of the human
personality” (preamble ACHR)
The Convention was signed in San José, Costa Rica in The Inter-American Commission is composed of
1969, but came into force in 1978 when a member State seven nationals of the Member States elected by the
of the OAS deposited the 11th instrument of ratification. General Assembly of the OAS from a list of candidates
The convention defines the rights and liberties of people, submitted by all States party.
referring mainly to civil and political rights. However in The Commission is regulated mainly by two texts: the
1988, the first Additional Protocol to the American American Declaration of the Rights and Duties of Man
Convention on Human Rights on “Economic, Social and (promoting their application especially in the 10 State
Cultural Rights” or “Protocol of San Salvador”8 was Member of the OAS that have not signed the American
signed and it has now 13 ratifications.9 Convention on Human Rights) and the American
Of the 34 OAS member States, twenty four have rati- Convention on Human Rights (relative to those States
fied the American Convention, twenty one have done so that have signed it).
with the contentious jurisdiction of the Inter American In the field of promotion and defense of human
Court, and nine have recognized the competence of the rights, the Commission has an impulse function (issuing
Inter American Commission to receive and consider recommendations and opinions), an advisory role (advis-
communications in which a member State claims that ing States in the vindication of human rights) and a moni-
another member has committed violations of human toring role (it is responsible for analyzing complaints
rights enshrined in the American Convention. against States for human rights violations from individuals,
Since the American Convention, have been signed, in provided that they have exhausted all domestic legal
the issue of human rights, new treaties as the Inter- remedies).
American Convention to Prevent and Punish Torture,10 the Since the entry into force of the American
Protocol to the American Convention on Human Rights to Convention on Human Rights, the Commission shares its
Abolish the Death Penalty,11 the Inter-American oversight role with the Court. Just as in the case of
Convention on the Prevention, Punishment and Eradication European regional system in its infancy, the inter-
of Violence against Women “Convention of Belem do American system provides that individuals may apply to
Pará”,12 the Inter-American Convention on Forced the Commission to present their complaints and decides
Disappearance of Persons,13 the Inter-American Convention whether or not it raises the dispute to Court.
on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against
Person with Disabilities,14 the Inter-American Convention
Against All Forms of Discrimination and Intolerance,15 and Proceedings for claiming Human Rights
the Inter-American Convention Against Racism, Racial before the Inter-American Commission
Discrimination, and Related Forms of Intolerance.16 1. Receipt of the request or complaint.
The complaint must be filed against one or more
Member States of the OAS considering that the
THE ORGANS OF THE INTER State has violated any of the human rights contained
AMERICAN HUMAN RIGHTS SYSTEM in the American Declaration, the American
In the Americas, human rights are protected by the Inter- Convention, and other inter-American human rights
American Commission on Human Rights and the Inter- treaties. The violation of human rights may result
American Court of Human Rights. The Commission is from the action, omission or acquiescence of the
responsible for ensuring the compliance for the state member state.
members of the duties on the international treaties on 2. Review of the petition or complaint by the
human rights throughout the continent, making it executive secretariat for the IACHR
through reports on the situation of human rights in differ- Once the petition is filled, it will be under study.
ent countries and hearing individual complaints of viola- After those this revision, the points 3 and 4
tions of human rights. (admissibility stage) will determine whether or not
The Inter American Court, in turn, hears individual the petition is Admissible.
cases of human rights violations in countries that accepted All the petitions submitted to the IACHR are
its jurisdiction, and issues authoritative decisions. evaluated, and a response is given.
3. Sending to the state allegedly responsible for an
answer.
A. THE INTER AMERICAN 4. Decision on admissibility based on the exchange of
information.
COMMISSION OF HUMAN RIGHTS
5. Transformation of the request in case for being
Its purpose and philosophy are based on the “search for admitted
the consolidation of a system of personal liberty and In this stage of the process, the Commission
social justice based on respect for the essential rights of analyzes the parties’ allegations and the evidence

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 Gloria Orrego Hoyos

submitted. The Commission has the possibility to However, the webcast (live transmission) can be followed
request both State and/or petitioners for more in four languages, Spanish and English mainly and also
information, evidence or documents. French and Portuguese. The hearing will be held in the
6. Invitation to the petitioner and the state to reach language of those being heard and in such language will
an agreement. the video be available for later consultation. When a
7. Friendly Settlements hearing is private (either at the request of state or peti-
The friendly settlement is a process based on the tioners), there is no webcast and no available audio or
willingness of both the State and the petitioners, video recording, and neither the public nor the press is
and consists of negotiations aimed to resolving the allowed to enter into the session.
issue without the need to reach a conclusion on the The Commission offers videos of the hearings for
matter in dispute. Always, the process unfolds viewing on demand. They can be accessed via YouTube19,
under the Commission’s supervision. the IACHR multimedia page20, or one of the hearing
8. No friendly settlement. search pages, where searches can be done by topic21
When it is not possible to reach a friendly or by session22 or by using the advanced search tool23.
settlement, the Commission decides whether or Equally, pictures and audios of the hearings are available
not there is a violation of human rights by the state through its Flickr site24 and as the videos, on the IACHR
after its analyzing of the parties’ allegations. hearings page.
9. The commission makes recommendations to the According to their general procedures (art. 68 of the
State to restore the violated rights Rules of Procedure of the Inter-American Commission
The recommendations are addressed in order to on Human Rights25) organizations, and institutions that
stop the acts that constitute the violation of human would like to rebroadcast the hearings are authorized to
rights, to clarify the facts carring out an official do so, giving credit to the OAS.
investigation, to ensure the reparation of the harm The information available also offers multiple resources
caused, to making the needed change to the law or to inform people seeking to file a petition before the
to require to the State the adoption or other Commission26 of some of the basic concepts they should
further measures in order to guarantee the know beforehand27. The documents on the website also
vindication of the violated rights. set which human rights are protected, how and when a
10. The commission sends recommendations to the petition may be filed, the requirements that must be met
State and establishes a deadline for compliance. and, in general, the procedures that have to be followed.
11. The state complies with the recommendations. Basic Documents28 and all the basic information
12. End of the case. regarding the Commission and its work can be found
13. The state fails to fulfill the recommendations easily on the website. The documents’ library does not
In this case, the Commission decides whether to provide an advanced search form, although in the main
publish the case or to refer the case to the Court search box on the page they can be retrieved by
(when the State recognizes the jurisdiction of the keyword.
Court -art. 62 American Convention of Human Regarding the decisions, the information available is
Rights). searchable only by date and the matters of admissibilities29
14. In the cases in which the State does not recognize and inadmissibilities30, the friendly settlements31, the pre-
the jurisdiction of the Court, there exists an cautionary measures32, the resolutions33, the cases in the
“advisory jurisdiction” which is extended to all state court34, the answers of the States35 and the reports on
member of the OAS (Art. 64 of the American petitions and cases36. Also to be found are the merits37 of
Convention of Human Rights) and finally the case is the petitions and the archive decisions38.
sent for publication in the annual report of the One of the best resources to understand the current
OAS. and historical overview of the work of the Commission
in the different countries of the region are the Reports.
These documents are organized as Annual Reports39,
Legal tools for research in the Inter- Country Reports40 and Thematic Reports41.
All available information is comprehensive and complete
American Commission of Human
and, in most cases, is available in both Spanish and English. In
Rights17
cases where it is available only in Spanish, it can be accessed
The website of the Commission offers access to a set of the title, keywords and a short summary in English.
legal tools, news (press releases), analytical sources Further information available of interest are the ques-
(reports) and other relevant information for the academ- tionnaires42 to be completed by the states and civil
ic research and the activism in defense of human rights. society to develop an approach to various issues treated
Although English is one of the official languages for or processed by the Commission interest, as part of its
the Inter-American system, several documents are only ongoing monitoring efforts. The questionnaires are avail-
available in Spanish. Such is the case of multimedia able in the four official languages of the system: Spanish,
resources18 (pictures, videos and audio information). English, French and Portuguese and often addresses the

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 Tools for Academic Research on Human Rights in Latin America

same topics then published as thematic reports or Legal tools for research in the Inter
reports on specific situations in countries. American Court of Human Rights
As part of accompaniment carried forward by the Inter-
B. THE INTER AMERICAN COURT OF American Court of Human rights in the transformation
HUMAN RIGHTS of the social, political and institutional realities of the
The Inter-American Court of Human Rights is an autono- people of the region, its Website is intended as a docu-
mous judicial body whose rulings have binding character for mentary and practical source for both the academic
those signatories’ countries of the American Convention. research and the activism in the matter of Human Rights.
The Court has both contentious and advisory func- Since 1979, the Court has decided more than 200 cases,
tions being that it hears and rules on the specific cases of delivered almost 300 judgments, issued more than 20
human rights violations referred by the Commission or, advisory opinions, and provided immediate protection to
since 2009 by a member State (art. 36 of the American individuals and groups by means of the provisional mea-
Convention); and also it issues opinions on matters of sures it has ordered.
legal interpretation of the American Convention brought The website of the Court, as the Commission’s, is
to its attention by other OAS bodies or member states. available both in English and Spanish. However, the
The Inter- American Court cannot recognize individ- English version of the website of the Inter-American
ual complaints directly. The contentious case or com- Court provides less information than the Spanish version
plaint must first go through the Commission and it will and its information is organized differently according with
decide whether to submit the case to the Court. Once the chosen language.
this process has concluded in the Commission and fol- There is a noteworthy interactive map44 with the
lowed by a process of judicial character in the Court, the information about all the countries and its situation
Court shall determine whether or not has been violated regarding the American Convention, and the recognition
a right or freedom recognized by the Convention. of the Court’s jurisdiction. It also offers the jurisprudence
by country in PDF format, MS word document, and a
summary (technical data of all available cases) in different
Proceedings before the Inter-American languages (English, Spanish, French and Portuguese). The
Court43 list of jurisprudence for each country allows searching fil-
1. Submitting the case to the Court by the Inter- tering within the results and also adds the possibility to
American Commission include opinions and abstracts.
– The Report is presented according to the art. 35 Recently, the Court added a human rights juridical
of the American Convention finder or Buscador Jurídico de Derechos Humanos45, avail-
able only in Spanish. This virtual space contains the con-
–The case will be notified to the Presidency and tentious jurisprudence of the Inter-American Court of
Judges, Respondent State, Alleged Victim Human Rights, analyzed and systematized from the rights
2. Submitting the case to the Court by a State enshrined in the first 30 articles of the American
– Since 2009 a State can report a case (art. 36 of Convention. Additionally, it can be found the main con-
the American Convention) cepts issued by the Court on reparations, in accordance
– The case will be notified to the Presidency and with the provisions of Article 63.1 of the American
Judges, the Commission, Respondent State, Convention. It also added (with the participation of
Alleged Victim. Mexico Office of the United Nations Human Rights
3. After acceptance, the alleged victim has 60 days to Council), different interpretations made by the commit-
present the facts, proof, witnesses and the claims. tees of the United Nations on Human Rights, analyzed
4. The state accused has 60 days to respond, indicating and systematized from the normative content of the main
possible exceptions to be resolved in the final international treaties of the Universal System.
judgment of the Court. This section also offers some of the Spanish version
5. Opening of the oral procedure and presentation of of the main jurisprudence related to human rights from
the final list of respondents. the Supreme Court of Justice of the Nation of Mexico,
It may be submitted for objections to witnesses and the Judiciary of the Republic of Peru and the
experts. The Court will decide whether or not Constitutional Court of the Republic of Colombia.
accept these objections. The Secretariat of the Inter-American Court of Human
6. The hearing begins and the foundations of the Rights offers multiple documents with their systematized
report are presented. decisions on a specific topic. The latest documents are
7. After the hearings occur the allegations always available on the home page (unfortunately, as the
8. The Commission will present its final observations previous cases, the document is only available in Spanish).
9. The judges will ask questions to the State, the Such is the case of systematization of decisions on provi-
victims or the Commission sional measures issued by the Inter-American Court of
10. The Court will rule on its final judgment Human Rights46. Although the same information can be

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 Gloria Orrego Hoyos

retrieved one by one through the Court’s search engine, 1. Women

this type of material is of great interest for researchers, Both the IACHR and the Court have pronounced in
and all decisions issued by the Court in this matter are the topic of rights of women in the continent. The
grouped into one document. issues addressed have ranged in the general status of
The Website offers an Annual Report47 (and the his- women54, the right to be free from violence and
torical Annual Reports) which covers the jurisdictional discrimination (the particular situation of the rights of
work and the different activities carried out by the Inter- women in Ciudad Juárez, Mexico55 and in Haiti56),
American Court to reach out to the people and institu- violence and discrimination against women in armed
tions under its jurisdiction each year. The report sum- conflict (particularly the situation in Colombia57),
marises the difficult journey towards the effective defense access to justice for women victims of violence58,
and promotion of human rights that the Inter-American particularly for victims of sexual violence in
Court has endeavored to move gradually closer to the Mesoamerica59 and access to health and education for
realities of each of the peoples of the Americas. such women60, the right of equality in the family,
In the matter of Jurisprudence, and taking into account labor and political spheres (particularly the situation
the vast case law possessed by the Court, in which it has experienced by women in Chile61), maternal health
addressed the most important issues and the most innova- services (from a human rights perspective)62, work
tive developments in human rights with regard to each of education and resources for women (seeking for
the 20 States under its jurisdiction, the website provides a equality through the guaranteeing of social and
Jurisprudence Finder48 useful to recover judgments and cultural rights)63, women’s political participation64,
decisions of the Tribunal, download its versions in full text access to information on reproductive health65 and
and redirect to files, fact sheets and summaries of the legal standards related to gender equality and
cases. The search can be made by type of decision, women’s rights in the continent66.
country, year and language, among others. 2. Children and Family rights
In addition, various sources of information, databases Although this subject has been addressed also in the
and documents are available to be browsed and down- subject of women’s rights (maternal care, access to
loaded. Such is the case of the Library of the Court49, information of reproductive rights, etc.) or in the
with access to books, bulletins and other materials all migrant workers and their families; the interest of the
downloadable, and with the possibility of being reused system in the topic relies principally in the rights of
only by recognizing the authorship of the court. the child in general67, the right of boys and girls to a
Also, the Instruments for the Promotion on Human family, alternative care and end of institutionalization
Rights50, present the instruments of the Inter-American in the Americas68, the juvenile justice in the region69
System, the European System, the African System and the and corporal punishment and human rights of
Universal System of Human Rights. All grouped by the children and adolescents70.
instruments of the system, for the promotion and protec- 3. Migrants
tion of human rights, about the prevention of discrimin- In the matter of migrants, the system has developed
ation, women’s rights, children, indigenous people, people two main perspectives. First, there is the topic
with disabilities, sexual orientation and gender identity, concerning the situation of migrant workers and their
about justice administration, labor, torture and disappear- families in the region71. And second, the immigration in
ance, nationality, asylum, refuge and internally displaced the United States (particularly the situation of the
persons and use of the force in armed conflicts among detention and due process)72 and the migration in the
others. context of human mobility in Mexico73.
Finally, it provides news and press releases51 (only in 4. The right to the truth
Spanish) with administrative information and its regular ses- Although the importance of the topic in the
sions. The multimedia gallery52 (also available only in continent due the processes for the memory the
Spanish) offers an ensemble of legal and multimedia truth and justice after the multiple dictatorships in
resources, providing pictures, audios and videos of the hear- the region, the Inter-American system only has
ings within the ordinary sessions of the Court. The hearings addressed this issue recently. In their report, they
are offered in the original language (not necessarily Spanish) define the legal framework for the right to the truth
and they do not provide translation or subtitles. in the Inter-American human rights system and the
national experiences and obligations to the States
emanating from the right to the truth74.
Documents of the OAS: The Thematic 5. Indigenous people
In a continent with the largest percentage of
Reports.53
indigenous people, the system has addressed the
The OAS in their documents offers a variety of Thematic topic multiples times. Its approach has been related
Reports in order to address easily the variety of topics to the general human rights situation of the
addressed by both the Commission and the Inter- indigenous people in the Americas75, the voluntary
American Court. isolation of the communities76, the right to their

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 Tools for Academic Research on Human Rights in Latin America

ancestral lands and natural resources77, and the 8. Freedom of expression

situation of captive communities as contemporary This topic is addressed every year with a special
form of slavery (particularly the situation of the report on the matter. But also the system offers
Guarani indigenous people in the Bolivian Chaco)78. the hemispheric agenda for the Defense of
6. Detention and deprivation of liberty and freedom of expression85, the legal framework
Justice operators regarding the right to access the information86
Human rights of persons deprived of liberty in the understood as fundamental part of the right to
region79, the pretrial detention and the situation of the information. Also, the documents offer the
human right defenders80. Also the system addresses standards for free and inclusive broadcasting87 and
the path between the restriction and abolition of the different materials for the basic knowledge on
death penalty in the Americas81 and the guarantees access to information88. Finally, the system has
for the independence of justice operators82. addressed a special study on the investigations into
7. Xenophobia and racism the murder of journalists related to their work in
While the issue has been addressed by the thematic journalism89.
documents on indigenous people and migrants, the 9. Social, economic and cultural rights
special reports on racism refer in particular to the Economic, social and cultural rights have been
situation of African descent in the region in recognized by the Inter-American system both
general83, but also their situation in the countries declarative and conventional instruments, and
like the report on the racial discrimination in the established some protections under the system of
Republic of Colombia84. cases90 and periodical reports91

Footnotes
1
See Pinto, M. (2004). El derecho internacional: Vigencia y desafíos en un escenario globalizado. Mexico, D.F: Fondo de Cultura
Económica.
2
Signatories and Ratifications and the declarations, reservations, denunciations and withdraws of the American Convention on
Human Rights available at: http://www.oas.org/dil/treaties_B-32_American_Convention_on_Human_rights_sign.htm
3
After the signing of the American Convention in 1948, the following countries were ruled by military and civilian dictatorships:
Argentina 1955–1958 (Eduardo Lonardi, Pedro Eugenio Aramburo), 1962–1963 (Jose María Guido), 1966–1970 (Juan Carlos
Onganía), 1970–1971 (Roberto Marcelo Levingston) 1971–1973 (Alejandro Agustín Lanusse) 1976–1983 (Joge Rafael Videla,
Roberto Viola, Leopoldo Galtieri). Bolivia 1971–1978 (Hugo Bánzer). Brazil 1964–1985 (Humberto de Alencar Castelo
Branco). Chile 1973–1989 (Augusto Pinochet). Colombia 1953–1957 (Gustavo Rojas Pinilla). Cuba 1952–1954 (Fulgencio
Batista) 1959–2008 (Fidel Castro). Ecuador 1963–1966 (Ramón Castro Jijón) 1972–1976 Guillermo Rodríguez Lara.
Guatemala 1954–1957 (Carlos Castillo Armas). Haiti 1957–1986 (Duvalier Family). Nicragua 1937–1979 (Somoza Family).
Panama 1968–1981 (Omar Torrijos), 1980–1989 (Rafael Noriega). Paraguay 1954–1989 (Afredo Stroessner). Peru 1948–
1950 (Manuel Arturo Odría Amoretti), 1968–1980 (Juan Velasco Alvarado) 1992–1993 (Alberto Fujimori). Dominican
Republic 1930–1961 (Rafael Trujillo). Uruguay 1973–1985 (José María Bordaberry and others). Venezuela 1952–1958
(Marcos Pérez Jiménez).
4
To read more about the legal power in Latin America and the influence of the Inter-American system, see Pásara, L. (January 1,
2003). Justicia, regimen politico y sociedad en America Latina.Politica Y Gobierno (mexico), 10, 2, 413–426.; Acuña, Carlos, & Alonso,
Gabriela. (2011). La Reforma Judicial en América Latina: Un estudio político-institucional de las reformas judiciales en Argentina, Brasil, Chile
y México.; Mesas Redondas la Reforma Constitucional en Materia de Derechos Humanos : un Enfoque en la Administración de
Justicia, Carmona, T. J. U., & Elías, A. E. (2012). Reforma constitucional en materia de derechos humanos: Un enfoque en la administración
de justicia. México: Tribunal Superior de Justicia del Distrito Federal, Instituto de Estudios Judiciales.
5
The signatory countries of the Charter of the Organization of American States to date are: Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina,
Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Bolivia, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba Dominica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El
Salvador, Grenada, Guatemala, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Jamaica Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Saint Kitts and Nevis,
Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago, United States, Uruguay and Venezuela. http://www.
cidh.oas.org/Basicos/English/Basic22b.CharterOAS_ratif.htm
6
Such is the case of the recent report of the Commission of Human Rights “Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women in
British Columbia, Canada” in which is addressed the situation of violence against indigenous woman in Canada. Available at:
http://www.oas.org/en/iachr/reports/pdfs/Indigenous-Women-BC-Canada-en.pdf
7
See IACHR, Resolution No. 3/87, Case 9647, James Terry Roach and Jay Pinkerton (United States), Annual Report 1986–1987,
September 22, 1987, paras. 46–49; IACHR, Report No. 51/01, Case 9903, Rafael Ferrer-Mazorra (United States), Annual
Report 2000, April 4, 2001; I/A Court H.R., Interpretation of the American Declaration of the Rights and Duties of Man
Within the Framework of Article 64 of the American Convention on Human Rights. Advisory Opinion OC-10/89, July 14,
1989. Series A No. 10, paras. 35–45. See also Article 20 of the Statute of the IACHR. Available at: http://www.cidh.org/
basicos/english/Basic1.%20Intro.htm#_ftn4

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8
http://www.oas.org/juridico/english/treaties/a-52.html
9
Signatories and Ratifications and the declarations, reservations, denunciations and withdraws of the American Convention on
Human Rights available at: http://www.oas.org/juridico/english/sigs/a-52.html
10
http://www.oas.org/juridico/english/treaties/a-51.html Signatories and Ratifications and the declarations, reservations, denunciations
and withdraws of the American Convention on Human Rights available at: http://www.oas.org/juridico/english/sigs/a-51.html
11
http://www.oas.org/juridico/english/treaties/a-53.html Signatories and Ratifications and the declarations, reservations, denunciations
and withdraws of the American Convention on Human Rights available at: http://www.oas.org/juridico/english/sigs/a-53.html
12
http://www.oas.org/juridico/english/treaties/a-61.html Signatories and Ratifications and the declarations, reservations, denunciations
and withdraws of the American Convention on Human Rights available at: http://www.oas.org/juridico/english/sigs/a-61.html
13
http://www.oas.org/juridico/english/treaties/a-60.html Signatories and Ratifications and the declarations, reservations, denunciations
and withdraws of the American Convention on Human Rights available at: http://www.oas.org/juridico/english/sigs/a-61.html
14
http://www.oas.org/juridico/english/treaties/a-65.html Signatories and Ratifications and the declarations, reservations, denunciations
and withdraws of the American Convention on Human Rights available at: http://www.oas.org/juridico/english/sigs/a-65.html
15
http://www.oas.org/en/sla/dil/inter_american_treaties_A-69_discrimination_intolerance.asp Signatories and Ratifications and the
declarations, reservations, denunciations and withdraws of the American Convention on Human Rights available at: http://www.
oas.org/en/sla/dil/inter_american_treaties_A-69_discrimination_intolerance_signatories.asp
16
http://www.oas.org/en/sla/dil/inter_american_treaties_A-68_racism.asp Signatories and Ratifications and the declarations, reser-
vations, denunciations and withdraws of the American Convention on Human Rights available at: http://www.oas.org/en/sla/dil/
inter_american_treaties_A-68_racism_signatories.asp
17
http://www.oas.org/en/iachr/
18
http://www.oas.org/es/cidh/multimedia/sesiones/154/default.asp
19
http://www.youtube.com/user/ComisionIDH/videos
20
http://www.oas.org/en/iachr/media_center/coverage.asp
21
http://www.oas.org/es/cidh/audiencias/topics.aspx?lang=en
22
http://www.oas.org/es/cidh/audiencias/default.aspx?lang=en
23
http://www.oas.org/es/cidh/audiencias/advanced.aspx?lang=es
24
https://www.flickr.com/photos/cidh/collections/72157631827669007/
25
http://www.oas.org/en/iachr/mandate/Basics/rulesiachr.asp
26
https://www.cidh.oas.org/cidh_apps/instructions.asp?gc_language=E
27
http://www.oas.org/en/iachr/docs/pdf/HowTo.pdf
28
http://www.oas.org/en/iachr/mandate/basic_documents.asp
29
http://www.oas.org/en/iachr/decisions/admissibilities.asp
30
http://www.oas.org/en/iachr/decisions/inadmissibilities.asp
31
http://www.oas.org/en/iachr/decisions/friendly.asp
32
http://www.oas.org/en/iachr/decisions/precautionary.asp
33
http://www.oas.org/en/iachr/decisions/resolutions.asp
34
http://www.oas.org/en/iachr/decisions/cases.asp
35
http://www.oas.org/en/iachr/decisions/answers_states.asp
36
http://www.oas.org/en/iachr/decisions/cases_reports.asp
37
http://www.oas.org/en/iachr/decisions/merits.asp
38
http://www.oas.org/en/iachr/decisions/archive.asp
39
http://www.oas.org/en/iachr/reports/annual.asp
40
http://www.oas.org/en/iachr/reports/country.asp
41
See Section 3. Documents of the OAS: The Annual Reports.
42
http://www.oas.org/en/iachr/reports/questionnaires.asp
43
http://www.corteidh.or.cr/index.cfm?&CFID=639518&CFTOKEN=92876965
44
http://www.corteidh.or.cr/index.php/mapa-interactivo
45
http://www.bjdh.org.mx/BJDH/
46
http://www.corteidh.or.cr/sitios/libros/todos/docs/Sistematizacion.pdf
47
http://www.corteidh.or.cr/tablas/ia2014/ingles.html
48
http://www.corteidh.or.cr/cf/Jurisprudencia2/index.cfm?lang=en
49
http://www.corteidh.or.cr/index.php/en/biblioteca
50
http://www.corteidh.or.cr/index.php/en/about-us/instrumentos
51
http://www.corteidh.or.cr/index.php/en/court-today/comunicados
52
http://www.corteidh.or.cr/index.php/en/court-today/galeria-multimedia
53
http://www.oas.org/en/iachr/reports/thematic.asp
54
http://www.cidh.org/countryrep/Mujeres98-en/TableofContents.htm

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55
http://www.cidh.org/annualrep/2002eng/chap.vi.juarez.htm
56
http://cidh.oas.org/countryrep/Haitimujer2009eng/HaitiWomen09.toc.htm
57
http://www.cidh.org/countryrep/ColombiaMujeres06eng/TOC.htm
58
http://www.cidh.org/women/Access07/tocaccess.htm
59
http://www.oas.org/en/iachr/women/docs/pdf/WOMEN%20MESOAMERICA%20ENG.pdf
60
http://www.oas.org/en/iachr/women/docs/pdf/SEXUALVIOLENCEEducHealth.pdf
61
http://www.cidh.org/countryrep/Chilemujer2009eng/Chilewomen2009toc.eng.htm
62
http://www.oas.org/en/iachr/women/docs/pdf/MaternalHealth2010.pdf
63
http://www.oas.org/en/iachr/women/docs/pdf/WomenDESC2011.pdf
64
http://www.oas.org/en/iachr/women/docs/pdf/POLITICALpart.pdf
65
http://www.oas.org/en/iachr/women/docs/pdf/womenaccessinformationreproductivehealth.pdf
66
http://www.oas.org/en/iachr/women/docs/pdf/REGIONALst.pdf
67
http://www.cidh.org/countryrep/Infancia2eng/Infancia2Toc.eng.htm
68
http://www.oas.org/en/iachr/children/docs/pdf/Report-Right-to-family.pdf
69
http://www.oas.org/en/iachr/children/docs/pdf/JuvenileJustice.pdf
70
http://www.cidh.org/Ninez/CastigoCorporal2009/CastigoCorporal.TOC.htm
71
http://www.cidh.org/Migrantes/migrantes98eng.htm
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http://www.oas.org/en/iachr/migrants/docs/pdf/Migrants2011.pdf
73
http://www.oas.org/en/iachr/migrants/docs/pdf/Report-Migrants-Mexico-2013.pdf
74
http://www.oas.org/en/iachr/reports/pdfs/Right-to-Truth-en.pdf
75
http://www.cidh.org/Indigenas/TOC.htm
76
http://www.oas.org/en/iachr/indigenous/docs/pdf/Report-Indigenous-Peoples-Voluntary-Isolation.pdf
77
http://www.oas.org/en/iachr/indigenous/docs/pdf/AncestralLands.pdf
78
http://www.cidh.org/pdf%20files/ACCESS%20TO%20JUSTICE%20DESC.pdf
79
http://www.oas.org/en/iachr/pdl/docs/pdf/PPL2011eng.pdf
80
http://www.oas.org/en/iachr/defenders/docs/pdf/defenders2011.pdf
81
http://www.oas.org/en/iachr/docs/pdf/deathpenalty.pdf
82
http://www.oas.org/es/cidh/defensores/docs/pdf/Justice-Operators-2013.pdf
83
http://www.oas.org/en/iachr/afro-descendants/docs/pdf/AFROS_2011_ENG.pdf
84
http://www.cidh.org/countryrep/ColombiaAfrodescendientes.eng/ColombiaAfros2009Toc.eng.htm
85
http://www.oas.org/en/iachr/expression/docs/publications/Hemispheric%20%20Agenda%20Eng%20FINAL%20portada.pdf
86
http://www.oas.org/en/iachr/expression/docs/publications/ACCESS%20TO%20INFORMATION%20FINAL%20CON%
20PORTADA.pdf
87
http://www.oas.org/en/iachr/expression/docs/publications/Broadcasting%20and%20freedom%20of%20expresion%20FINAL%
20PORTADA.pdf
88
http://www.oas.org/es/cidh/expresion/docs/cd/acceso_informacion/OAS_Interactive.pdf
89
http://www.cidh.org/relatoria/section/Asesinato%20de%20Periodistas%20INGLES.pdf
90
http://www.cidh.org/pdf%20files/ACCESS%20TO%20JUSTICE%20DESC.pdf
91
http://cidh.org/pdf%20files/Guidelines%20final.pdf

Biography
The author of this article is Gloria Orrego Hoyos of the Universidad de San Andrés and Secretary of Training and
Jurisprudence at the Public Ministry of Defense in Buenos Aires, Argentina. She is a native of Colombia, where she
obtained her law degree from the Pontificia Universidad Javeriana College of Law in Bogotá. She is now living and
working in Argentina where she obtained a Master in Constitutional Law and Human Rights from the Universidad
de Palermo in Buenos Aires. Ms. Orrego Hoyos has a librarianship diploma from the Universidad de Ciencias
Empresariales y Sociales (UCES) in Buenos Aires. She is a Lecturer of Legal Research Methods in the Universidad de
San Andrés and she has advised and assisted independent researchers and civil society organizations. Ms. Orrego
Hoyos has published significant scholarship mainly in the issues of documentation and access to legal and judicial
information, technologies for information oriented to the regional integration, with a main focus on the struggle for
human rights (gender and reproductive rights), has contributed as a researcher to the scholarship of colleagues, and
has translated from English to Spanish the scholarship of others.

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