On May 30th, OAS Secretary General Luis Almagro invoked the Inter-American Democratic Charter in the case of Venezuela, political “red card”. The question now is, will the Permanent Council uphold the red card or denounce the ref?
Secretary General Luis Almagro has invoked the Democratic Charter of the OAS, calling for a meeting of the body’s Permanent Council to discuss the situation in Venezuela. How the hemispheric body responds will be a test of its role and future in a divided hemisphere.
A recent Spanish report by DeJusticia details the modern challenges of the inter-American system of human rights: political consensus; countries refusing to pay their obligations; and countries cutting their contributions when they receive decisions they don’t like.
Whether MACCIH will have a real impact remains to be seen. But its installation in Honduras offers at least a glimmer of hope that positive changes can begin to take place. Continued pressure and monitoring from civil society, journalists, and international donors will be necessary to ensure that MACCIH reaches its full potential rather than frustrating good-faith efforts in the fight against corruption.
La democracia tiene un solo camino: el compromiso con los derechos garantizados a todos los ciudadanos del país. Su esencia es proteger los derechos y las decisiones del pueblo respecto a un gobierno que podría abusar de su poder, ignorando o rechazando los resultados de la elección. Esto es de extrema seriedad porque constituiría la violación de principios fundamentales.
El próximo 15 y 16 de junio se llevará a cabo en Washington D.C. la 45ª Asamblea General (AG) de la Organización de Estados Americanos (OEA). En esta ocasión elegirán 4 nuevos miembros de la Comisión Interamericana de Derechos Humanos (CIDH) y 4 nuevos jueces de la Corte Interamericana de Derechos Humanos. Esas elecciones también definirán el futuro y fuerza moral de la organización hemisférica.
The new OAS Secretary General’s swearing-in speech should give us hope, not just because he talked about the OAS’s role in defending human rights and electoral transparency and inclusiveness, but also because of who he is and Uruguay’s principled position in the hemisphere. His first test will be the Venezuelan legislative elections.
Latin America knows well the costs of failed drug policies, and it has an opportunity to show the way on improving global drug policy, even if UNGASS 2016 disappoints its present expectations.
Why are Latin American leaders so resistant to speaking out about the deterioration of human rights in Venezuela?
