(Excerpt)
No. 40/07
The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights held its 128th regular period of sessions from July 16 to 27. The IACHR is made up of Florentín Meléndez, President; Paolo Carozza, First Vice President; Victor Abramovich, Second Vice President; and Commissioners Clare K. Roberts, Freddy Gutiérrez, Paulo Sérgio Pinheiro and Evelio Fernández Arévalos. The Executive Secretary of the IACHR is Dr. Santiago A. Canton. Due to circumstances beyond his control, Commissioner Paulo Sérgio Pinheiro excused himself from participating in these sessions.
During this period of sessions, the IACHR approved 44 reports on individual cases and petitions. On July 18 and 20, it held 25 hearings related to individual cases and petitions, precautionary measures, and general and specific human rights situations. Fifteen working meetings were also held in which representatives of both parties participated in the context of petitions and cases pending before the Commission. The Commission decided as well to reassign some functions, as a result of which the Rapporteurship on the Rights of Migrant Workers and Their Families became the responsibility of President Florentín Meléndez, and the Rapporteurships on El Salvador, Panama and Uruguay became the responsibility of Commissioners Victor Abramovich, Paulo Sérgio Pinheiro and Paolo Carozza, respectively.
The participation in hearings and working meetings of representatives of the Member States, as well as those who took part as victims or petitioners, constitutes an important contribution that helps to strengthen the work of protecting the human rights of the people of the hemisphere. The Inter-American Commission values and appreciates this attendance and participation. In that respect, the participation of high-level governmental authorities from several countries is worth noting, as a sign of their respective States' willingness to engage in dialogue with the IACHR and with civil society.
Continuing with its tradition of meeting during each period of sessions with State representatives from one region of the hemisphere, the Inter-American Commission held a productive meeting during these sessions with the Ambassadors from the Andean Region. Progress was made in discussing ways to improve mechanisms for human rights protection in the hemisphere and on the strengthening of relations between the IACHR and the States.
The IACHR will hold its 129th special period of sessions in Paraguay from September 5 to 7, 2007, and its 130th regular period of sessions at its headquarters in Washington, D.C., from October 8 to 19, 2007. The deadline for presenting requests for hearings and working meetings for the 130th regular sessions is August 19, 2007, in keeping with Article 62.2 of the IACHR Rules of Procedure.
A. General Situation in OAS Member States
The IACHR held hearings on the general human rights situation in Colombia, Guatemala and Haiti.
With respect to Colombia, during the 128th regular period of sessions the Commission received information from civil society organizations concerning the general human rights situation in the country and the situation of children and youth who have ties to the internal armed conflict. It also received information on the activities of Colombia's National Commission on Reparations and Reconciliation, during a hearing sought by the government in which information was presented by the president of that commission, Dr. Eduardo Pizarro.
In regard to Haiti, the Commission received information concerning the general human rights situation in the country, as well as specific information on acts of violence in the town of Gonaives and on the role of security forces and the judiciary to prevent acts of violence and ensure accountability of the perpetrators. The petitioners indicated that the security situation in Gonaives deteriorated significantly during the first five months of 2007, during which armed gangs committed frequent acts of violence, such as murder and rape. In particular, the petitioners denounced the murder of Gonaives radio journalist Alix Joseph and the failure to conduct a prompt and effective investigation in this case. Further, the petitioners indicated concern with the lack of sufficient police presence in Gonaives during this period and the mounting frustration of civilians, leading to popular demonstrations demanding justice and accountability of perpetrators for criminal acts. While the petitioners acknowledged that the police forces adopted proactive steps since May 2007 to apprehend suspected criminals, which has contributed to a reduction of violent crime, the petitioners expressed concern with serious deficiencies, such as excessively slow and faulty procedures in the courts system in Gonaives. They also noted numerous irregularities and violations of judicial guarantees and protection during court hearings and trials, emphasizing specifically the obligation to respect the right to a remedy and reparations of the victim. Moreover, the lack of resources allocated for the courts in Gonaives was noted as a significant challenge to function adequately, while the lack of a functional prison facility in Gonaives was reiterated and stressed as a principal human rights concern with respect to the rights of persons deprived of liberty in Gonaives and related security threats for the population. Finally, the petitioners requested that the Commission remain vigilant in its human rights observation of the situation in Haiti and to specifically make efforts to monitor the judicial process with respect to apprehended and charged criminal suspects. In response, while noting weaknesses in the police force, the State representative indicated that public security measures were recently adopted by the police in Gonaives to curb the level of violent crime, and due to these efforts, several suspected criminals were arrested there. Further, the strengthening and reform of the justice system was noted as a key priority for the government and is expected to be the focus of a commission established recently by the Ministry of Justice. Finally, the State emphasized the importance of the international community's role in supporting the State to meet its national objectives.