IACHR

Press Release

IACHR Announces Schedule of Hearings for 141st Period of Sessions

March 11, 2011

Washington, D.C. — The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) announces the calendar of hearings for its 141st period of sessions, which will be held from March 21 to April 1, 2011. The hearings will take place March 25, 28, and 29 in the General Secretariat Building of the Organization of American States (OAS) in Washington, D.C.

The OAS will transmit all the public hearings live via webcast. The videos of these hearings will subsequently be posted on the IACHR website, and high-resolution copies will be available upon request. Details about these services can be found in the Commission's guidelines for press coverage of public hearings. In addition, all the public hearings may be heard on the Internet, through audio recordings posted on this page of the Commission's website.

In the case of private hearings, no webcast or audio or video recordings will be available, and no members of the public or the press will be allowed to enter.

In the hearings requested by the States, civil society will have 15 minutes available to present any information it considers relevant. Those interested in participating should communicate their interest by e-mail, at [email protected], before March 14, 2011. In the e-mail, they should include the names of the individuals and/or organizations wishing to attend and specify what hearings they would like to participate in, along with any other information that might be of interest to include.

Members of the public who are interested may attend public hearings without having to register ahead of time. Journalists do not need any special accreditation. The IACHR does not make minutes or transcripts of the hearings public.

A principal, autonomous body of the Organization of American States (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 human rights in the region and acts as a consultative body to the OAS in this matter. The Commission is composed of seven independent members who are elected in a personal capacity by the OAS General Assembly and who do not represent their countries of origin or residence.

No. 20/11