II Inter-American System
| Author | Diego Rodríguez-Pinzón |
| Published date | 01 June 2004 |
| Date | 01 June 2004 |
| DOI | 10.1177/016934410402200207 |
| Subject Matter | Part B: Human Rights News |
II INTER-AMERICAN SYSTEM
DIEGO RODRI
´GUEZ-PINZO
´N
INTER-AMERICAN COMMISSION ON HUMAN RIGHTS
Recently elected members joined the Inter-American Commission on
Human Rights this year. They are: Evelio Ferna´ndez Are´valos from
Paraguay, Freddy Gutie´rrez from Venezuela, Florentı´n Mele´ndez from El
Salvador, and Paulo Sergio Pinheiro from Brazil. The outgoing Commissi-
oners are: Marta Altolaguirre from Guatemala, Robert Goldman from the
United States, Juan Me´ndez from Argentina and Julio Prado Vallejo, from
Ecuador. The new Commissioners join Clare K. Roberts from Antigua and
Barbuda, Susana Villara´n from Peru
´, and Jose´ Zalaquett from Chile, in the
seven member body.
During 2003 the Inter-American Commission continued to actively
discharge its mandate regarding individual complaints. It continued its
practice of publishing some of its decisions on its website as soon as they are
adopted. This occurred particularly in decisions related to admissibility or
inadmissibility of petitions, friendly settlements or compliance with
decisions, and cases rendered under the American Declaration. Below we
report three cases, one declaring the inadmissibility of a petition against the
United States, the second one that is called a ‘compliance agreement’ in a
case against Chile (the first of its kind published by the Commission), and
the third one regarding a decision in the merits in a case brought against the
United States.
Kenneth Walker vs United States, IACHR, Report No. 62/03, decision of 10 October
2003
Kenneth Walker (‘Petitioner’) alleged that the United States (‘State’)
violated his rights under Articles I, II, V, VIII, XIV, XVII, XVIII, XXV, and
XXVI of the American Declaration of the Rights and Duties of Man
(‘American Declaration’). Walker bases these claims on the United States’
practice of irregular extraterritorial rendition. He claims that the US
customs officials lured him to the United States as part of a covert operation
and subsequently improperly arrested, detained and charged him of arms
export offenses.
Procedural History
Originally the Petitioner and two other petitioners brought this case to the
Commission in August 1998. The two other petitioners were severed from
Netherlands Quarterly of Human Rights, Vol. 22/2 (2004) 285
To continue reading
Request your trial