Preview of UNHRC 30 and predictions on how Latin American countries will vote

The United Nations Human Rights Council opened this week, and on its agenda are the heated topics of Sri Lanka, Ukraine and Syria. The region has historically split in votes on these issues, with a majority, led by Argentina and Brazil, supporting the protection of human rights. On the other side, Cuba and Venezuela have helped to lead the movement to prioritize national sovereignty over the human rights.

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Amy Williams September 18, 2015

The importance of human rights to sovereignty

In a speech before the start of the new session, the head of the UN Human Rights Commission emphasized the complementarity between human rights and national sovereignty. Was his message intended for any specific countries and their representatives on the Council?

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admin September 18, 2015

Tolerance of LGBT Rights-A Mixed Bag in the Americas

How tolerant are citizens across the Americas of LGBT political rights and marriage equality? While support for political rights is higher than support for the rights of LGBT couples to legally wed, the results track largely with levels of economic development in the region, with two notable exceptions.

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Interesting statistics September 1, 2015

Voting in UNHRC: Sri Lanka

This week we look at how countries voted in the UNHRC regarding Sri Lanka. The government of then-Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa was accused of engaging in genocide against the civilian Tamil population in its military campaign to end the civil war with the terrorist Tamil Tigers.

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admin July 8, 2015

Obama, Rousseff and the crucible of human rights

When Presidents Obama and Rousseff gather next week in Washington, DC, one topic, unfortunately, is unlikely to get much attention: the roiling global rights crisis. But there is a common agenda on which both democratic leaders could establish a much-needed, progressive consensus, involving digital freedom and promoting dialogue and human and democratic rights in Cuba and Venezuela. Will they?

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admin June 25, 2015

What’s left? Venezuela and Ecuador

President Nicolás Maduro of Venezuela and Rafael Correa exhibit none of the characteristics of the modern, progressive left—such as, support for indigenous communities’ land rights or LGBT rights—so why are they still called leftists? Because they say so.

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Christopher Sabatini June 14, 2015

Letter to President Maduro from former presidents

Several months ago, former presidents Óscar Arias, Felipe Calderón, Fernando Henrique Cardoso, Alejandro Toledo, and Ernesto Zedillo signed an open letter to Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro expressing their concern over the deteriorating human rights conditions in the country and political prisoners such as former Mayor of Chacao Leopoldo López. Here is their letter—though little has changed since they signed it.

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admin June 10, 2015

Sobre la próxima elección de miembros de la CIDH y de la Corte Interamericana de Derechos Humanos

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. 


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Katya Salazar May 31, 2015

Secretary General Almagro: a cause for hope?

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.

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Christopher Sabatini May 28, 2015
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