Organization and Key Documents
The Inter-American regional human rights system is comprised of the charter-based Inter-American Commission on Human Rights and the treaty-based Inter-American Court of Human Rights. Grounded first in the American Declaration of the Rights and Duties of Man, which was adopted in May 1948, the system's linchpin is the the American Convention on Human Rights. It should be noted that, while the U.S. signed the Convention in 1977, it has not ratified it, and so is not a party to it. There are also two key supplementary agreements: the Additional Protocol to the American Convention on Human Rights in the Area of Economic, Social and Cultural Rights ("Protocol of San Salvador") and the Protocol to the American Convention on Human Rights to Abolish the Death Penalty.
The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights is authorized to receive individual complaints charging violations of both the American Declaration and the American Convention. A collection of the commission's decisions, excerpted from the annual report, is now available on the Commission's website. The Commission also carries out country studies and situation reports. An example of the former is the 2007 report, Access to Justice and Social Inclusion: The Road Towards Strengthening Democracy in Bolivia. An example of the latter is the 2006 Report on the Situation of Human Rights Defenders in the Americas. In addition, the Commission has created special "rapporteurships". An example is the Rapporteur for the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.
The Inter-American Court of Human Rights is a true judicial body, comparable to its European counterpart, although it does not have the same caseload. The Court publishes its decisions in two main series: Series A- Advisory Opinions and Series C- Decisions and Judgments. The Court also publishes decisions in two series that do not have letters: Provisional Measures and Monitoring of Compliance with Judgments. It should be noted that the Court's decisions sometimes not published in English. A comprehensive collection of the Court's judicial production is available on the Court's website. The court also publishes its Annual Report of the Inter-American Court of Human Rights.
- Inter-American Human Rights System - University of Minnesota Human Rights LibraryProvides documentation and legal documents of the both the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights and the Inter-American Court on Human Rights. Just click on the desired icon to get started and find your needed documents, organized by type (annual report, etc.)
Find Inter-American Court of Human Rights Documents
Court Decisions
IACHR Additional Resources
- Inter-American Court of Human Rights ProjectAssembled by Loyola Law School in conjunction with the Loyola of Los Angeles International and Comparative Law Review.
Organization of American States and Affiliated Human Rights Institutions
- Organization of American StatesClick on the "Official Documents" portion of the website for Legal Documents, the Charter of this IGO, Treaties and International Agreements, Declarations and Reservations, Annual Reports, and more.
Specialized International Agreements
Secondary Sources
Doctrine, Practice, and Advocacy in the Inter-American Human Rights System by Call Number: Upper Level KDZ574 .C38 2019ISBN: 9780190900861Publication Date: 2019
The Practice and Procedure of the Inter-American Court of Human Rights by Call Number: KDZ579 .I58 P37 2013ISBN: 1107691907Publication Date: 2014-03-06The Inter-American Human Rights System by
Call Number: KDZ 578 I5 D38 1997The Inter-American System of Human Rights by
Call Number: KDZ 574 I576 1998
