View source for Inter-American Commission on Human Rights

{{Short description|Human rights monitoring organization in the Americas}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}}
{{Infobox organization
| name                = Inter-American Commission on Human Rights
| image               = Inter-American Commission on Human Rights logo.svg
| caption             = English logo
| abbreviation        = IACHR
| motto               = 
| formation           = 1959
| extinction          = 
| status              = 
| purpose             = [[Human rights]] monitoring in the [[Americas]]
| location            = [[Washington, D.C.]], U.S.
| region_served       = '''[[Americas]]'''<br />([[American Convention on Human Rights|ACHR signatories]],<br />[[Organization of American States|OAS members]])
| membership          = [[Antigua and Barbuda]], [[Argentina]], [[Barbados]], [[Belize]], [[Bolivia]], [[Brazil]], [[Canada]], [[Chile]], [[Colombia]], [[Costa Rica]], [[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]], [[The Bahamas]], [[Trinidad and Tobago]], [[United States]], [[Uruguay]], [[Venezuela]]
| leader_title        = Executive Secretary
| leader_name         = {{flagicon|Mexico}} [[Tania Reneaum]]
| main_organ          = 
| parent_organization = [[Organization of American States]]
| affiliations        = 
| budget              = 
| website             = {{url|https://www.oas.org/en/iachr/}}
| remarks             = 
}}

The '''Inter-American Commission on Human Rights''' (the '''IACHR'''<ref name="UIA">{{Cite web |url=https://uia.org/s/or/en/1100039069 |url-access= |title=Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) |author1=Staff writer |year=2024 |department=UIA Global Civil Society Database |website=uia.org |publisher=[[Union of International Associations]] |agency=Yearbook of International Organizations Online |location=Brussels, Belgium |format= |arxiv= |asin= |bibcode= |doi= |doi-broken-date= |isbn= |issn= |jfm= |jstor= |lccn= |mr= |oclc= |ol= |osti= |pmc= |pmid= |rfc= |ssrn= |zbl= |id= |access-date=14 January 2025 |url-status= |archive-url= |archive-date= |via= |quote= |trans-quote= |ref= |postscript=}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Inter-American Commission on Human Rights Individual Petition System Portal |url=https://www.oas.org/ipsp/default.aspx?Lang=En|access-date=2020-08-30|website=OAS| date=August 2009 |language=en}}</ref> or, in the three other official languages{{spaced ndash}} Spanish, French, and [[Portuguese language|Portuguese]]{{spaced ndash}} '''CIDH''', ''Comisión Interamericana de los Derechos Humanos'', ''Commission Interaméricaine des Droits de l'Homme'', ''Comissão Interamericana de Direitos Humanos'') is an autonomous organ of the [[Organization of American States]] (OAS).

The separate [[Inter-American Court of Human Rights]] is an autonomous judicial institution based in the city of [[San José, Costa Rica]].  Together the Court and the Commission make up the [[human rights]] protection system of the OAS.<ref>{{Cite book |url=https://library.oapen.org/handle/20.500.12657/88112 |title=The Impact of the Inter-American Human Rights System: Transformations on the Ground |date=2024 |publisher=Oxford University Press |editor-last=Bogdandy |editor-first=Armin von |language=English |editor-last2=Piovesan |editor-first2=Flávia |editor-last3=Ferrer Mac-Gregor |editor-first3=Eduardo |editor-last4=Morales Antoniazzi |editor-first4=Mariela}}</ref>

== Composition ==
IACHR is a permanent body based in Washington, D.C., United States.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Hansel |first1=Mary |date=August 8, 2022 |title=There's a Way to Appeal Dobbs. It's Worth Trying. |url=https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2022/08/dobbs-abortion-international-law-appeal-worth-trying.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220809073245/https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2022/08/dobbs-abortion-international-law-appeal-worth-trying.html |archive-date=August 9, 2022 |work=Slate |location=Available from NewsBank: America's News – Historical and Current}}</ref> It holds regular and special sessions throughout the year to review human rights complaints in the Americas.<ref>{{Cite web |last=OAS |date=2009-08-01 |title=OAS – Organization of American States: Democracy for peace, security, and development |url=https://www.oas.org/en/iachr/ |access-date=2020-09-17 |website=OAS |language=en}}</ref> 

The Commission’s mandate is based on three key documents: the [[Charter of the Organization of American States]] (OAS),<ref>[http://www.oas.org/en/iachr/expression/index.asp OAS]</ref> the [[American Declaration of the Rights and Duties of Man]],<ref>{{cite book |last=Morsink |first=Johannes |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=nSWZY3Rs9vQC&q=American+Declaration+of+the+Rights+and+Duties+of+Man+bogot%C3%A0&pg=PA131 |title=The Universal Declaration of Human Rights: Origins, Drafting, and Intent |date=1999 |publisher=University of Pennsylvania Press |isbn=0-8122-3474-X |location=Philadelphia |page=131}}</ref> and the [[American Convention on Human Rights]].

== History of the Inter-American human rights system ==
The Inter-American system for protecting human rights began in April 1948 with the adoption of the [[American Declaration of the Rights and Duties of Man]] by the Organization of American States (OAS). This was the first general international human rights instrument, preceding the Universal Declaration of Human Rights by more than six months.<ref name=":0">Goldman, Robert K. "History and Action: the Inter-American Human Rights System and the Role of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights." Human Rights Quarterly 31 (2009): 856-887.</ref><ref name=":1">{{Cite web |last=OAS |date=2009-08-01 |title=OAS – Organization of American States: Democracy for peace, security, and development |url=http://www.oas.org/en/iachr/mandate/what.asp |access-date=2019-09-28 |website=OAS |language=en}}</ref> 

The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) was established in 1959. It held its first session in 1960 and conducted its first on-site visit in 1961 to examine the human rights situation in the Dominican Republic.<ref name=":1" /> 

In 1965, the Commission was formally authorized to investigate individual complaints of human rights violations. Since then, it has received thousands of petitions and processed over 12,000 cases.<ref name=":1" /> 

The [[American Convention on Human Rights]], adopted in 1969, expanded on the principles of the 1948 Declaration. It set out the obligations of states to uphold specific rights and established the Inter-American Court of Human Rights. As of now, the Convention is binding on 24 of the OAS’s 35 member states.<ref name=":0" /> 

The commission's performance has not been always welcomed. Among others, Venezuela has accused{{When|date=November 2021}} the Commission of politicization. Others criticize the commission's stress on certain issues over others. These criticisms have given rise to what was called the "Strengthening Process of the Commission". This process began in 2011, led by the States belonging to the [[Bolivarian Alliance for the Americas]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=23 March 2013 |title=Controversial Inter-American Reforms Process to Continue &#124; Inter Press Service |url=http://www.ipsnews.net/2013/03/controversial-inter-american-reforms-process-to-continue/ |access-date=19 November 2019 |website=Inter Press Service}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=9 June 2012 |title=Chipping at the foundations |url=https://www.economist.com/the-americas/2012/06/09/chipping-at-the-foundations |access-date=19 November 2019 |newspaper=The Economist}}</ref>

== Functions ==
[[File:Visita Técnica a Peru 20-12-22 (52576238676).jpg|thumb|IACHR representatives meeting with President [[Dina Boluarte]] during the [[2022 Peruvian political protests]]]]
The main task of the IACHR is to promote the observance and defense of human rights in the [[Americas]].<ref name=":2">{{Cite web|title=INTRODUCTION|url=http://www.oas.org/en/iachr/mandate/Basics/introduction-basic-documents.pdf|access-date=2020-10-14}}</ref>

In pursuit of this mandate it:

* Receives, analyzes, and investigates individual petitions alleging violations of specific human rights protected by the American Convention on Human Rights.
* Works to resolve petitions in a collaborative way that is amiable to both parties.
* Monitors the general human rights situation in the OAS's member states and, when necessary, prepares and publishes country-specific human rights reports.
* Conducts on-site visits to examine members' general human rights situation or to investigate specific cases.
* Encourages public awareness about human rights and related issues throughout the hemisphere.
* Holds conferences, seminars, and meetings with governments, NGOs, academic institutions, etc. to inform and raise awareness about issues relating to the inter-American human rights system.
* Issues member states with recommendations that, if adopted, would further the cause of human rights protection.
* Requests that states adopt precautionary measures to prevent serious and irreparable harm to human rights in urgent cases.<ref name="IACHR_precautionary_measures-2012-06" />
* Refers cases to the Inter-American Court of Human Rights, and litigates those same cases before the Court.
* Asks the Inter-American Court to provide advisory opinions on matters relating to the interpretation of the convention or other related instruments.

==Rapporteurships and units==
{{Anchor|Special rapporteur}}

The IACHR has created several thematic rapporteurships and two special rapporteurships to monitor OAS states' compliance with inter-American human rights treaties in the following areas:<ref name=":3">{{Cite web|url=http://www.oas.org/en/iachr/mandate/composition.asp#tab3|title=Rapporteurship Distribution|date=2009-08-01|website=OAS|language=en|access-date=2019-09-28}}</ref>

* Rapporteurship on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (1990)<ref name="oas.org">[http://www.oas.org/en/iachr/indigenous/default.asp Rapporteurship on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples]</ref>
* Rapporteurship on the Rights of Women (the first rapporteurship created by the IACHR in 1994)<ref>[http://www.oas.org/en/iachr/women/default.asp Rapporteurship on the Rights of Women]</ref>
* Rapporteurship on Migrant Workers and their Families (1996)<ref>[http://www.cidh.org/Migrantes/defaultmigrants.htm Rapporteurship on Migrant Workers and their Families]</ref>
* Rapporteurship on the Rights of the Child (1998)<ref>[http://www.oas.org/en/iachr/children/ Rapporteurship on the Rights of the Child]</ref>
* Rapporteurship on Human Rights Defenders (2001)<ref>[http://www.oas.org/en/iachr/defenders/default.asp Rapporteurship on Human Rights Defenders]</ref>
* Rapporteurship on the Rights of Persons Deprived of Liberty (2004)<ref name="oas.org"/>
* Rapporteurship on the Rights of Afro-Descendants and against Racial Discrimination (2005)<ref>[http://www.oas.org/en/iachr/afro-descendants/default.asp Rapporteurship on the Rights of Afro-Descendants and against Racial Discrimination]</ref>
* Rapporteurship on the Rights of Lesbian, Gay, Trans, Bisexual, and Intersex Persons (2014) <ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.oas.org/en/iachr/lgtbi/ | title=OAS :: IACHR :: Rapporteurship on the Rights of Lesbian, Gay, Trans, Bisexual, and Intersex Persons :: Rapporteurship on the Rights of Lesbian, Gay, Trans, Bisexual, and Intersex Persons }}</ref>
* Rapporteurship on Memory, Truth, and Justice (2019)
* Rapporteurship on the Rights of Older Persons (2019)
* Rapporteurship on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, 2019

The [[Special Rapporteur for Freedom of Expression]] and the {{ill|Special Rapporteur for Economic, Social, Cultural, and Environmental Rights|es|Relatoría Especial sobre los Derechos Económicos, Sociales, Culturales y Ambientales de la CIDH}} are full-time dedicated positions.<ref name=":3" /> The former was created in 1997, while the latter was established in 2017, with [[Soledad García Muñoz]] of Argentina as the first holder of the office.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Soledad García Muñoz es la primera Relatora Especial sobre Derechos Económicos, Sociales, Culturales y Ambientales (DESCA) – Codehupy |url=https://www.codehupy.org.py/soledad-garcia-munoz-es-la-primera-relatora-especial-sobre-derechos-economicos-sociales-culturales-y-ambientales-desca/ |access-date=2023-04-06 |website=www.codehupy.org.py}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Special Rapporteurship on Economic, Social, Cultural, and Environmental Rights |url=https://www.oas.org/en/iachr/jsForm/?File=/en/iachr/r/desca/default.asp |publisher=IACHR |access-date=2 September 2023}}</ref>
The other rapporteurships are in the hands of the commissioners, who have other functions at the IACHR and also their own jobs in their home countries, since their work as commissioners is unpaid.

Rapporteurships are initially established by the commission as thematic units prior to being upgraded to rapporteurships.

The IACHR also has a Press and Outreach Office.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.oas.org/en/iachr/media_center/contact.asp|title=Contact the IACHR Press Office |website=OAS|language=en|access-date=2019-09-28 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191006045538/http://www.oas.org/en/iachr/media_center/contact.asp |archive-date= Oct 6, 2019 }}</ref>

==Petitions==
Under its Rules of Procedure, the IACHR reviews petitions submitted by individuals or non-governmental organizations. These petitions are treated as confidential and are not made public. To be admissible, a petition must meet three conditions: domestic legal remedies must have been exhausted, the petition must be submitted within six months of the final decision in the domestic system, and it must not be under consideration by another international body.

Once a petition has been filed, it follows the following procedure:<ref name=":2" />

* Petition is forwarded to the Secretariat and reviewed for completeness; if complete, it is registered and is given a case number. This is where the state is notified of the petition.
* Petition reviewed for admissibility.
* The Commission tries to find a [[friendly settlement]].
* If no settlement is found, then briefs are filed by each side on the merits of the case.
* The Commission then files a report on the merits, known as an Article 50 report from relevant article of the convention. This is a basically a ruling by the commission with recommendations on how to solve the conflict. The Article 50 report is sent to the state. This is a confidential report; the petitioner does not get a full copy of this report.
* The state is given two months to comply with the recommendations of the report.
* The petitioner then has one month to file a petition asking for the issue to be sent to the Inter-American Court (only applicable if the State in question has recognized the competence of the Inter-American Court).
* The commission has three months, from the date the Article 50 report is given to the state, to either publish the Article 50 report or send the case to the Inter-American Court of Human Rights. Alternatively, the commission can also choose to monitor the situation. The American Convention establishes that if the report is not submitted to the Court within three months it may not be submitted in the future, but if the State asks for more time in order to comply with the recommendations of the Article 50 report, the Commission might grant it on the condition that the State signs a waiver on this requirement.

== Composition ==
The IACHR's ranking officers are its seven commissioners. The commissioners are elected by the [[General Assembly of the Organization of American States|OAS General Assembly]], for four-year terms, with the possibility of re-election on one occasion, for a maximum period in office of eight years. They serve in a personal capacity and are not considered to represent their countries of origin but rather "all the member countries of the Organization" (Art. 35 of the convention).
The convention (Art. 34) says that they must "be persons of high moral character and recognized competence in the field of human rights".
No two nationals of the same member state may be commissioners simultaneously (Art. 37), and commissioners are required to refrain from participating in the discussion of cases involving their home countries.{{Needs citation|date=May 2025}}

=== Current commissioners (2024) ===
[[File:Brasil- Mujeres afrodescendientes - Margarette May Macaulay.jpg|thumb|[[Margarette May Macaulay]], former IACHR President]]
{|border="1" class="wikitable" style="text-align:left"
! Name !! State !! Position !! Elected !! Term
|-
|[[Roberta Clarke]] || {{flag|Barbados}}|| President || 2015 || 2022–2025
|-
|[[Carlos Bernal Pulido]] || {{flag|Colombia}}|| First Vice-President || 2021 || 2022–2025
|-
|[[José Luis Caballero Ochoa]] || {{flag|Mexico}}|| Second Vice-President || 2023 || 2023–2025
|-
|[[Edgar Stuardo Ralón Orellana]] || {{flag|Guatemala}}|| Commissioner || 2020 || 2024–2027
|-
|[[Arif Bulkan]] || {{flag|Guyana}}|| Commissioner || 2024 || 2024–2027
|-
|[[Andrea Pochak]] || {{flag|Argentina}}|| Commissioner || 2024 || 2024–2027
|- 
|[[Gloria Monique de Mees]] || {{flag|Suriname}}|| Commissioner || 2024 || 2024–2027
|}
<small>Source of IACHR Composition.<ref>{{Cite web|last=OAS|date=2009-08-01|title=OAS – Organization of American States: Democracy for peace, security, and development|url=https://www.oas.org/en/iachr/mandate/composition.asp|access-date=2021-12-19|website=OAS|language=en}}</ref></small>

=== Past commissioners ===
[[File:OAS.JoseZalaquett.01.jpg|thumb|right|[[José Zalaquett]], President 2004]]

{| border="1" class="wikitable mw-collapsible mw-collapsed sortable" style="text-align:left"
! Year !! State !! Commissioners !! President <small>(post-2001)</small><br />Chairman<small> (pre-2001)</small>
|-
|1960–1963 || {{flag|Venezuela|1954}} || [[Rómulo Gallegos]] || 1960
|-
|1960–1964 || {{flag|El Salvador}} || [[Reynaldo Galindo Pohl]] ||
|-
|1960–1968 || {{flag|Ecuador|1900}} || [[Gonzalo Escudero (poet)|Gonzalo Escudero]] ||
|-
|1960–1972 || {{flag|Costa Rica}} || [[Ángela Acuña Braun|Ángela Acuña de Chacón]] ||
|-
|1960–1972 || {{flag|USA}} || [[Durwood V. Sandifer|Durward V. Sandifer]]||
|-
|1960–1972 || {{flag|Chile}} || {{ill|Manuel Bianchi Gundián|es}} ||
|-
|1960–1979 || {{flag|Mexico|1934}} || [[Gabino Fraga]]||
|-
|1964–1968 || {{flag|Uruguay}} || [[Daniel Hugo Martins]]||
|-
|1964–1983 || {{flag|Brazil|1968}} || [[Carlos A. Dunshee de Abranches]]||
|-
|1968–1972 || {{flag|Peru}} || [[Mario Alzamora Valdez]]||
|-
|1968–1972 || {{flag|Uruguay}} || [[Justino Jiménez de Arechega]]||
|-
|1972–1976 || {{flag|Argentina}} || [[Genaro R. Carrió]] ||
|-
|1972–1976 || {{flag|USA}} || [[Robert F. Woodward]] ||
|-
|1972–1985 || {{flag|Venezuela|1954}} || [[Andrés Aguilar Mawdsley|Andrés Aguilar]] ||
|-
|1976–1979 || {{flag|Guatemala}} || [[Carlos García Bauer]]||
|-
|1976–1979 || {{flag|Costa Rica}} || [[Fernando Volio Jiménez]] ||
|-
|1976–1983 || {{flag|USA}} || [[Tom J. Farer]]||
|-
|1976–1978 || {{flag|Colombia}} || [[José Joaquín Gori]]||
|-
|1978–1987 || {{flag|Colombia}} || {{ill|Marco Gerardo Monroy Cabra|es}} ||
|-
|1980–1987 || {{flag|El Salvador}} || [[Francisco Bertrand Galindo]]||
|-
|1980–1985 || {{flag|Mexico}} || [[César Sepúlveda]]||
|-
|1980–1985 || {{flag|Costa Rica}} || {{ill|Luis Demetrio Tinoco Castro|es}} ||
|-
|1984–1988 || {{flag|USA}} || [[R. Bruce McColm]]||
|-
|1984–1987 || {{flag|Bolivia}} || [[Luis Adolfo Siles Salinas]] ||
|-
|1984–1991 || {{flag|Brazil|1968}} || [[Gilda Maciel Correa Russomano]]||
|-
|1986–1989 || {{flag|Argentina}} || [[Elsa Kelly]] ||
|-
|1986–1993 || {{flag|Venezuela|1954}} || [[Marco Tulio Bruni-Celli]]||
|-
|1986–1993 || {{flag|Barbados}} || [[Oliver H. Jackman]]||
|-
|1988–1991 || {{flag|USA}} || [[John Reese Stevenson]]||
|-
|1988–1995 || {{flag|Honduras|1949}} || [[Leo Valladares Lanza]]||
|-
|1988–1995 || {{flag|Jamaica}} || [[Patrick Lipton Robinson]] ||
|-
|1990–1997 || {{flag|Argentina}} || {{ill|Óscar Luján Fappiano|es|Oscar Luján Fappiano}} ||
|-
|1992–1995 || {{flag|USA}} || [[Michael Reisman]]||
|-
|1994–1997 || {{flag|Trinidad and Tobago}} || [[John S. Donaldson]]||   1997
|-
|1998–1999 || {{flag|Barbados}} || [[Sir Henry de Boulay Forde]]||
|-
|1992–1999 || {{flag|Colombia}} || {{ill|Álvaro Tirado Mejía|es}} ||   1995
|-
|1996–1999 || {{flag|Venezuela|1954}} || [[Carlos Ayala Corao]]||   1998
|-
|1996–1999 || {{flag|Haiti}} || [[Jean-Joseph Exumé]]||
|-
|1994–2001 || {{flag|Chile}} || [[Claudio Grossman]] ||   1996, 2001
|-
|1998–2001 || {{flag|Brazil}} || [[Hélio Bicudo]] || 2000
|-
|1999–2001 || {{flag|Barbados}} || [[Peter Laurie (diplomat)|Peter Laurie]]||
|-
|2002–2002 || {{flag|Peru}} || [[Diego García Sayán]] ||
|-
|1996–2003 || {{flag|USA}} || [[Robert K. Goldman]]||   1999
|-
|2000–2003 || {{flag|Guatemala}} || {{ill|Marta Altolaguirre|es}}||   2003
|-
|2000–2003 || {{flag|Argentina}} || [[Juan E. Méndez]] ||   2002
|-
|2000–2003 || {{flag|Ecuador|1900}} || [[Julio Prado Vallejo]]||
|-
|2002–2005 || {{flag|Peru}} || [[Susana Villarán]]|| 
|-
|2001–2005 || {{flag|Chile}} || [[José Zalaquett]] ||   2004
|-
|2004–2007 || {{flag|Paraguay|1990}} || [[Evelio Fernández Arévalos]]|| 2006
|-
|2004–2007 || {{flag|Venezuela}} || [[Freddy Gutiérrez]]||
|-
|2002–2009 || {{flag|Antigua and Barbuda}} || [[Sir Clare Kamau Roberts]]||
|-
|2004–2009 || {{flag|El Salvador}} || [[Florentín Meléndez]]||
|-
|2006–2009 || {{flag|Argentina}} || [[Víctor Abramovich]]||
|-
|2006–2009 || {{flag|USA}} || [[Paolo Carozza]]|| 2008
|-
|2004–2011 || {{flag|Brazil}} || [[Paulo Sérgio Pinheiro]] || 
|-
|2008–2011 || {{flag|Venezuela}} || [[Luz Patricia Mejía]]|| 2009
|-
|2009–2011 || {{flag|El Salvador}} || [[María Silvia Guillén]]||
|-
|2010–2013 || {{flag|Colombia}} || [[Rodrigo Escobar Gil]]||
|-
|2010–2013 || {{flag|USA}} || [[Dinah Shelton]]||
|-
|2008–2015 || {{flag|Chile}} || [[Felipe González Morales]]|| 2010
|-
|2012–2015 || {{flag|Saint Lucia}}<br/>{{flag|Trinidad and Tobago }} || [[Rose-Marie Belle Antoine]] || 2015
|-
|2012–2015 || {{flag|Jamaica}} || [[Tracy S. Robinson|Tracy Robinson]] || 2014
|-
|2012–2015 || {{flag|Paraguay}} || [[Rosa María Ortiz]] ||
|-
|2017–2019 || {{flag|Colombia}} || {{ill|Luis Ernesto Vargas Silva|es}} || 
|-
|2016–2019 || {{flag|Peru}} || [[Francisco José Eguiguren Praeli]] ||
|-
|2018–2021 || |{{flag|Chile}} || [[Antonia Urrejola Noguera]] ||
|-
|2018–2021 || {{flag|Brazil}} ||[[Flávia Piovesan]] ||
|-
|2018–2023 || {{flag|Mexico}} || [[Joel Hernández García]] || 
|}

=== Executive Secretaries ===
The staff of the IACHR comprise its Secretariat, which is led by an Executive Secretary, who serves for what have recently been four-year, renewable contracts.

In August 2020, OAS Secretary General [[Luis Almagro]] announced that he would not renew Paulo Abrão's contract as Executive Secretary of the IACHR, citing 61 personnel complaints by staff of the organization.<ref name=":02">{{Cite news|title=OAS chief Almagro under fire for removal of top rights official|work=Buenos Aires Times|url=https://www.batimes.com.ar/news/latin-america/oas-chief-almagro-under-fire-for-removal-of-top-rights-official.phtml|access-date=2020-09-27}}</ref> The Commissioners of the IACHR had unanimously approved the contract extension in January 2020,<ref name=":02" /> and expressed their "profound rejection" of Almagro's action "whose refusal to renew this contract breaks with a 20-year practice of respecting the IACHR's decision to appoint its own Executive Secretary and thus makes it difficult to obtain truth, justice, and reparation for those whose labor rights have been affected." UN High Commissioner for Human Rights [[Michelle Bachelet]], [[Human Rights Watch]], and the Mexican government have also objected to Abrão's removal.<ref>{{Cite news|date=2020-08-28|title=Luis Almagro reafirma que no renovará a Paulo Abrao en la CIDH|work=El Espectador|location=Bogotá, Colombia|url=https://www.elespectador.com/noticias/el-mundo/luis-almagro-reafirma-que-no-renovara-a-paulo-abrao-en-la-cidh/|access-date=2020-09-27}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|date=2020-08-27|title=OAS Leader Undermining Rights Body|url=https://www.hrw.org/news/2020/08/27/oas-leader-undermining-rights-body|access-date=2020-09-27|work=Human Rights Watch}}</ref>

[[Tania Reneaum]], a Mexican, was appointed as the new Executive Secretary in 2021.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Tania Reneaum Panszi Takes Office as IACHR's New Executive Secretary |url=https://www.oas.org/en/iachr/jsForm/?File=/en/iachr/media_center/preleases/2021/142.asp |access-date=2024-03-30 |website=Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) |language=en}}</ref>
{|class="wikitable"
|+'''Executive Secretary of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights'''
! Name !! Country !! Term !! Notes
|-
|[[Luis Reque]]
|{{flagicon|Bolivia}} [[Bolivia]] 
| 1960 – June 1976
|| 
|-
|Charles D. Moyer
|{{flagicon|United States}} [[United States]] 
| January – August 1977 
|Interim Executive Secretary. 
|-
|[[Edmundo Vargas Carreño]]
|{{flagicon|Chile}} [[Chile]] 
| September 1977 – March 1990 
|| 
|-
|David J. Padilla 
|{{flagicon|United States}} [[United States]] 
| March – June 1990 
|Interim Executive Secretary. 
|-
|[[Edith Márquez Rodríguez]]
|{{flagicon|Venezuela|1954}} [[Venezuela]] 
| May 1990 – February 1996 ||
|-
|David J. Padilla 
|{{flagicon|United States}} [[United States]] 
| January – May 1996 
|Interim Executive Secretary.
|-
|[[Jorge Taiana|Jorge Enrique Taiana]]
|{{flagicon|Argentina}} [[Argentina]] 
| March 1996 – July 2001 ||
|-
|{{ill|Santiago Cantón|es}} 
|{{flagicon|Argentina}} [[Argentina]] 
| August 2001 – June 2012 || 
|-
|[[Emilio Álvarez Icaza]]
|{{flagicon|Mexico}} [[Mexico]] 
| August 2012 – August 2016 ||
|-
|[[Paulo Abrão]]
|{{flagicon|Brazil}} [[Brazil]] 
| August 2016 – August 2020 ||
|-
|María Claudia Pulido
|{{flagicon|Colombia}} [[Colombia]]
| 17 August 2020 &ndash; June 2021
|Acting Executive Secretary.
|-
|[[Tania Reneaum Panszi]]<ref>{{Cite web |last=Padilha |first=Saulo |date=2023-01-27 |title=“We will continue to make progress in strengthening the Commission and in our mission to secure and protect human rights in the region” |url=https://sur.conectas.org/en/we-will-continue-to-have-progress-strengthening-the-commission-and-in-our-mission-to-secure-and-protect-human-rights-in-the-region/ |access-date=2024-03-29 |website=Sur - International Journal on Human Rights |language=en-US}}</ref>
|{{flagicon|Mexico}} [[Mexico]]
|June 2021 &ndash; present
|
|-
|colspan="4"| <small>Source: OAS, [https://www.oas.org/en/iachr/mandate/exSE.asp Former IACHR Executive Secretaries].</small>
|}

== Human rights allegations investigated by the Inter-American Commission ==
* [[2014 Iguala mass kidnapping]] (Mexico)<ref>{{cite web |date=6 September 2015 |title=Mexico: Expert report on Ayotzinapa disappearances highlights government's incompetence |url=https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2015/09/mexico-informe-de-expertos-sobre-ayotzinapa-deja-a-la-luz-incompetencia-gubernamental/ |access-date=7 September 2015 |website=[[Amnesty International]] |quote=A new report by a group of experts from the Inter-American Commission of Human Rights on the investigation of the disappearance of 43 students in Guerrero, Mexico, uncovers the authorities' utter incompetence and lack of will to find the students and bring those responsible to justice, said Amnesty International.}}</ref>
* [[Antoine Izméry]] (Haiti)
* [[Barrios Altos massacre]] (Peru)<ref>{{cite web |title=Report No. 20/99 |url=http://www.cidh.org/annualrep/98eng/merits/peru%2010317.htm |publisher=IACHR |date=23 February 1999}}</ref>
* [[Censorship in Venezuela]] (Venezuela)
* [[Deaths in Ciudad Juárez]] (Mexico)
* [[District of Columbia voting rights]] (United States)<ref>{{Cite web |title=Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (Organization of American States) REPORT Nº 98/03* |url=http://www.dcvote.org/pdfs/oas1203w.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111001020855/http://www.dcvote.org/pdfs/oas1203w.pdf |archive-date=1 October 2011}}</ref>
* Domestic violence protection in the case of [[Castle Rock v. Gonzales|Jessica Gonzales]] (United States)<ref>{{Cite news |last=Malone |first=Patrick |date=16 August 2011 |title=Human rights group questions court ruling |url=http://www.chieftain.com/news/local/human-rights-group-questions-court-ruling/article_84180e20-c7d1-11e0-88de-001cc4c002e0.html |work=The Pueblo Chieftain}}</ref>
* ''[[Caracazo|El Caracazo]]'' (Venezuela)
* [[Extrajudicial detention]] in [[Guantanamo Bay detention camp|Guantánamo]] of [[Djamel Ameziane]] (United States)<ref name="TheJurist2012-03-31">
{{cite news |author=Michael Haggerson |date=31 March 2012 |title=Human rights court agrees to hear Guantanamo detainee case |url=http://jurist.org/paperchase/2012/03/human-rights-court-agrees-to-hear-guantanamo-detainee-case.php |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120402153328/http://jurist.org/paperchase/2012/03/human-rights-court-agrees-to-hear-guantanamo-detainee-case.php |archive-date=2 April 2012 |access-date=6 April 2012 |newspaper=[[The Jurist]] |quote=The IACHR will investigate whether the US's failure to transfer Ameziane is in compliance with international human rights law.}}
</ref>
* [[Japanese Peruvians#World War II|Internment of Japanese Latin Americans]] (United States)<ref name="discovernikkei">{{citation |last=Cole |first=Diana Morita |title=Civil Rights Champion – Art Shibayama |date=27 September 2018 |newspaper=Discover Nikkei |url=http://www.discovernikkei.org/en/journal/2018/9/27/art-shibayama/}}</ref><ref name="nakagawa">{{citation |last=Nakagawa |first=William |title=Rights commission rules in favor of Japanese Latin Americans kidnapped during WWII |date=13 August 2020 |newspaper=[[Nichi Bei Times|Nichi Bei Weekly]] |url=https://www.nichibei.org/2020/08/rights-commission-rules-in-favor-of-japanese-latin-americans-kidnapped-during-wwii/}}</ref>
* [[Japanese embassy hostage crisis]] (Peru)<ref name="dmi25july">{{cite news |date=25 July 2012 |title=Peru; New Defense Minister takes office |url=http://dmilt.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=3756:peru-new-defense-minister-takes-office&catid=35:latin-america&Itemid=58 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131106002438/http://dmilt.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=3756:peru-new-defense-minister-takes-office&catid=35:latin-america&Itemid=58 |archive-date=6 November 2013 |access-date=13 April 2013 |newspaper=Defense Market Intelligence}}</ref>
* [[La Cantuta massacre]] (Peru)<ref>{{cite web |date=11 March 1999 |title=Report No. 42/99 |url=http://www.cidh.org/annualrep/98eng/admissibility/peru%2011045.htm |publisher=IACHR}}</ref>
* [[Lori Berenson]] (Peru)<ref>{{cite web |date=8 December 1998 |title=Report No. 56/98 |url=http://www.cidh.org/annualrep/98eng/admissibility/peru%2011876.htm |publisher=IACHR}}</ref>
* [[Massacre of Trujillo]] (Colombia)<ref>[http://www.eltiempo.com/colombia/occidente/2008-08-28/la-masacre-de-trujillo-fue-escogida-por-la-cnrr-como-eje-de-su-informe-sobre-crimenes-emblematicos_4470978-1 {{in lang|es}} La masacre de Trujillo fue escogida por la CNRR como eje de su informe sobre crímenes emblemáticos]</ref>
* [[Plan de Sánchez massacre]] (Guatemala)

==References==
{{reflist|2|refs=

<ref name="IACHR_precautionary_measures-2012-06">{{cite web|title=Precautionary Measures |publisher=[[Organization of American States]] |date=June 2012 |url=http://www.oas.org/en/iachr/decisions/precautionary.asp |access-date=2012-08-20 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120805221111/http://www.oas.org/en/iachr/decisions/precautionary.asp |archive-date=5 August 2012 |url-status=live }}</ref>
}}

== External links ==
* {{Official website|http://www.oas.org/en/iachr/}}
* [http://hrlibrary.umn.edu/cases/commissn.htm IACHR case law]
* [http://www.oas.org/en/iachr/expression/index.asp OAS Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Expression]
{{Organization of American States|state=expanded}}
{{International human rights organizations}}
{{International human rights legal instruments}}
{{United Nations}}
{{Family rights}}
{{Human rights}}{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Inter-American Commission on Human Rights}}
[[Category:1959 establishments in Washington, D.C.]]
[[Category:Human rights in Latin America]]
[[Category:Inter-American Commission on Human Rights]]
[[Category:Intergovernmental human rights organizations]]
[[Category:Organization of American States]]
[[Category:Organizations established in 1959]]
[[Category:Quasi-judicial bodies]]