IACHR Releases Schedule of Public Hearings for 190th Period of Sessions

June 28, 2024

Washington, D.C. – The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) released the schedule of public hearings for its 190th Period of Sessions, set to take place over the period July 8–19, 2024, in Washington, D.C. The gathering is expected to combine remote and in-person sessions.

The 34 public hearings in this period of sessions have been scheduled for the period July 8–12 and are to be conducted remotely, on the Zoom platform. These hearings are to address issues related to the situation of human rights in member countries of the Organization of American States (OAS) and in the Americas as a whole. Thematic hearings are to discuss various issues concerning the rights of women, children and adolescents, indigenous peoples, human rights defenders, Afro-descendant persons, LGBTI persons, persons who are deprived of liberty, persons with disabilities, persons in human mobility contexts and asylum seekers; freedom of expression and association; economic, social, cultural, and environmental rights; memory, truth, and justice; and democracy.

For this period of sessions, the IACHR has scheduled two thematic hearings ex officio, to address the regional situation of refugee protection 40 years after the adoption of the Cartagena Declaration, as well as the impact of corporal punishment on the rights of children in the Caribbean.

A further three hearings are to follow up on cases that are currently being addressed by the IACHR, while another hearing will focus on follow-up to precautionary measures linked to access to medical care in Venezuela. Of these four follow-up hearings, two have been scheduled ex officio by the IACHR.

In keeping with Article 68 of the Inter-American Commission's Rules of Procedure, all hearings will be public and will be broadcast over Zoom and on the IACHR's institutional accounts on Facebook, YouTube, and Twitter. Individuals and organizations chosen to attend the hearings who need interpretation and subtitling services will need to register for the relevant events on Zoom, using the link available on the schedule of hearings.

The IACHR will post in due course the relevant connection details and the security requirements applicable to the public hearings and the meeting with civil society that are set to take place during the 190th Period of Sessions.

A principal, autonomous body of the OAS, the IACHR derives its mandate from the OAS Charter and the American Convention on Human Rights. The Inter-American Commission has a mandate to promote respect for and to defend human rights in the region and acts as a consultative body to the OAS in this area. The Commission is composed of seven independent members who are elected in an individual capacity by the OAS General Assembly and who do not represent their countries of origin or residence.

The IACHR is a principal and autonomous body of the Organization of American States (OAS), whose mandate stems from the OAS Charter and the American Convention on Human Rights. The Inter-American Commission has the mandate to promote the observance and defense of human rights in the region and acts as an advisory body to the OAS on the matter. The IACHR is made up of seven independent members who are elected by the OAS General Assembly in their personal capacity, and do not represent their countries of origin or residence.

No. 151/24

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