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PRESS RELEASE

 

Nš 4/99


The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) has, among its pending cases, case No. 11.760 concerning the dismissal of three members of the Constitutional Court by the Congress of the Republic of Peru. At its one hundred and first special session held in December 1998, the Commission adopted its preliminary report on the substance of the case and made the appropriate recommendations to the State of Peru. The report, the contents of which are confidential at the current stage of the proceedings, in accordance with the doctrine of the Inter-American Court of Human Rights, was transmitted to the State of Peru on 14 December 1998 and a period of two months was granted for the State to implement the recommendations which it contained.

The Commission notes that, as a result of statements made to the news media by various public figures in the country, it has become common knowledge that the State of Peru has requested the Commission to grant an extension of the time period.

In fulfillment of its functions to protect and defend human rights, the Commission decided to grant the two-month extension requested by the Peruvian State. The Commission hopes that this extension will permit a solution to be found to the case.

It must be emphasized that in its request for an extension the State of Peru is of the clear understanding that the granting of the request suspends the application of the time frame provided for in article 51 of the American Convention on Human Rights. In accordance with the above, with the jurisprudence of the Inter-American Court of Human Rights and with the practice of the Commission, the granting of the extension requested implies, if necessary, the extension of the deadline laid down in article 51(1) of the American Convention on Human Rights for submitting the case to the Inter-American Court.

 

Washington, D.C., 26 February 1999.