IACHR

Press Release

IACHR Is Accepting Requests for Hearings for its 168th Sessions

February 1, 2018

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Washington, D.C. - The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) will hold its 168th session in Dominican Republic, from May 3 to May 11, 2018, at the invitation of the State of that country.

Starting today, the IACHR will receive requests for hearings and working meetings. All requests must be submitted via the system available on the IACHR website. The system is open starting today until 11:59 p.m. EST on March 9, 2018.The IACHR will receive requests for hearings and working meetings on any member country of the Organization of American States (OAS), except Dominican Republic. This system is the only means to submit these requests, and it is available in the four official languages of the OAS: Spanish, English, Portuguese and French.

The Inter-American Commission holds several sessions a year. IACHR sessions have become forums that bring together hundreds of human rights defenders from the region, as well as State delegations made up of high-level human rights officials, among others.

The IACHR thanks the State of Dominican Republic for the invitation for inviting the Commission to hold sessions in its jurisdiction. The policy of holding Periods of Sessions outside headquarters, in the Member States, contributes to the democratization of the access to the Inter-American Human Rights System, enables a deeper contact with victims of human rights violations and their families, and expands the public presence of the IACHR in the region.

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 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.

No. 015/18