III Inter-American System
| Published date | 01 June 2007 |
| Date | 01 June 2007 |
| Author | Diego Rodríguez-Pinzón |
| DOI | 10.1177/016934410702500208 |
| Subject Matter | Part B: Human Rights News |
Netherlands Q uarterly of Human R ights, Vol. 25/2 (2007) 309
III INTERAMERICAN SYSTEM
D R-P*
As usual, in th is Chapter Claudia Martin and I repor t on the latest news of the work of
both the Inter-American Commission on Human R ights (hereina er ‘Commission’)
and the Inter-American Court on Human R ights (hereina er ‘Court’). is time we
are once again devoting ou r attention to the work of the Commission in the context of
recent developments in the Inter-American Human Rig hts System.
1. MODIFICATIONS TO THE COMMISSION’S
REGULATIONS
e regional mechanisms have been adapting to a series of measures reforming
some very important aspects of its superv isory tools, i ncluding modi cations to
the Regulations of t he both by the Commission a nd the Court. In October 2006,
the Commission made severa l changes to its Regulations seeking to improve the
transparency and e cacy of its proce edings and decisions. One of the most signi cant
modi cation adopted is related to public access to hear ings. Article 66 of the new
Regulations est ablish that
[h]earings shal l be public. When wa rranted by except ional circu mstances, t he Commission,
at its own initiat ive or at the request of an interested pa rty, may hold private hearings and
shall decide who may attend them. is decision pert ains exclusively to the Commis sion,
which shall not ify the parties in t his regard prior to the beginn ing of the heari ng, either
orally or in writing. Even in these cases, the minutes shall be prepared in the terms set
forth in Ar ticle 68 of these Rules of Proc edure.
is a very important aspect that will certainly have signi cant repercussions on
the political dynamics of the system, and will particularly increase the impact that
hearings before the Commission could have in inducing better protection of human
rights in speci c cases or improvement of general situations in some States. It is well
* Diego Rodríguez-Pi nzón (JD, LL.M., S.J. D.) is Professorial Lectu rer in Residence and Co-Dire ctor
of the Academy on Human R ights and Humanitaria n Law of America n University Washin gton
College of Law, and ad hoc Judge of the Inter-A merican Cour t on Human Rights . He wants to than k
Rosemarie Sa lguero for her research support .
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