Human Rights Law: Organization of American States

The Organization of American States is the world's oldest regional organization, dating back to the First International Conference of American States, held in Washington, D.C., from October 1889 to April 1890. That meeting approved the establishment of the International Union of American Republics. The OAS came into being in 1948 with the signing in Bogota, Colombia, of the Charter of the OAS, which entered into force in December 1951. The members of the OAS are all 35 independent states of the Americas. Human rights are one of the main pillars of its action, with democracy, security and development.

The American Convention on Human Rights, also known as the Pact of San José, was adopted in San José, Costa Rica, on 22 November 1969. It came into force after the eleventh instrument of ratification (that of Grenada) was deposited on 18 july 1978.

The bodies responsible for overseeing compliance with the Convention are the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights and the Inter-American Court of Human Rights. The OAS activities expand beyond these bodies through political dialogue, inclusiveness cooperation, legal and follow-up mechanisms.

American Convention on Human Rights
1144 UNTS 143

Basic Documents in the Inter-American System
Includes the American Declaration of the Rights and Duties of Man, the American Convention on Human Rights, the Inter-American Convention on the Prevention, Punishment and Eradication of Violence against Women, and many other texts.

Inter-American Court of Human Rights
Access to the Court's case law, with a search engine (possibility to search by date or by subject)

Inter-American Yearbook on Human Rights = Anuario Interamericano de derechos humanos (1985-)
342.7(06) HEIA 1641
Basic documents, activities of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights and the Inter-American Court of Human Rights. Bilingual English-Spanish.

The practice and procedure of the Inter-American Court of Human Rights / Jo M. Pasqualucci
(Cambridge University Press, 2003)
342.7(035) HEIA 29174

The Inter-American Court of Human Rights : case-law and commentary / Laurence Burgorgue-Larsen and Amaya Ubeda de Torres; translated by Rosalind Greenstein.
(Oxford University Press, 2011)
342.7(094.9) HEIA 74470