In defense of the autonomy of the IACHR

The Latin American Council of Social Sciences denounces and repudiates the decision of the Secretary General of the Organization of American States (OAS), Luis Almagro, to veto the renewal of the mandate of the Brazilian jurist Paulo Abrão as Executive Secretary of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR).

Abrão, who has held the position since 2016, was unanimously elected in January of this year to assume a new term until 2024 at the head of the IACHR, an organ linked to the OAS but with autonomous operation.

On August 15, the last day of the contract's validity, the Secretary General of the OAS informed the IACHR of his decision to refrain "from advancing in the process of appointing the Executive Secretary" of the IACHR; which in practice translates into a refusal to extend the Executive Secretary's employment contract, an unprecedented event in the 61-year history of the Inter-American Commission's defense of human rights.

CLACSO calls for respect for the independence of the IACHR and compliance with the mandate of its Executive Secretary, Paulo Abrão, a specialist in human rights and democratization processes, Professor of Law in Brazil and Spain, and author of dozens of articles and books on transitional justice and public law.

CLACSO Steering Committee

August 25th, 2020