PRESS RELEASE

 

N° 58/09

 

IACHR ANNOUNCES DELEGATION THAT WILL VISIT HONDURAS

 

Washington, D.C., August 12, 2009 — The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) will begin its on-site visit in Honduras on August 17, 2009, in order to observe the human rights situation in the context of the coup d’état of June 28, 2009, and receive complaints. The delegation will be composed of the IACHR President, Luz Patricia Mejía; the  First Vice President, Víctor Abramovich; the Second Vice President and Rapporteur for Honduras, Felipe González; Commissioner Paolo Carozza; the Executive Secretary, Santiago A. Canton, and members of the Executive Secretariat.

 

During the visit, which will take place from August 17 to August 21, the IACHR will establish its temporary headquarters in the Intercontinental Hotel of Tegucigalpa, located on Avenida Roble in front of the Multiplaza Mall, where the Commission will receive petitions about human rights violations committed in the context of the coup d’état. The Inter-American Commission will also travel to different regions of Honduras to gather information. At the conclusion of its visit, the IACHR will inform the national and international community about its preliminary observations.

 

The suspension of Honduras’ right to participate in the Organization of American States (OAS), decided on July 4, 2009 by an extraordinary session of the OAS General Assembly, does not alter the country’s obligations as a signatory to the Convention and other inter-American Human Rights treaties ratified by the State. The IACHR continues to receive and process petitions, cases and requests for precautionary measures in Honduras.

 

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 the 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 act in a personal capacity, without representing a particular country, and who are elected by the OAS General Assembly.

 

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Read this press release in Spanish / Lea este comunicado de prensa en español

 

Press contact: María Isabel Rivero
Tel. (202) 458-3867
Cell: (202) 215-4142
E-mail:
mrivero@oas.org

 

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