OAS – Race and Equality

02Jul 2021 by admin No Comments

Inter-American Court decision in the case of Vicky Hernández and others vs. Honduras: an unprecedented ruling for the region’s trans community

CIDH, English, IACHR, LGBTI, OAS, OEA, Race and Equality

Washington ,D.C., July 1, 2021.- On June 28, 2021, as the LGBTI+ community celebrated its struggle for human rights worldwide, the Inter-American Court on Human Rights released its decision in the case Vicky Hernández and others vs. Honduras. The decision is only the Court’s fifth ruling on LGBTI+ rights and its second on the rights of trans people. The Court decided, for the first time, that the rights of trans and travesti women are protected under the Inter-American Convention on the Prevention, Punishment, and Eradication of Violence against Women (Convention of Belem do Para). The Court also ordered the State of Honduras to implement a law on gender identity within two years, an unprecedented reparations order for the region. Vicky Hernández was a trans woman, sex workers, and human rights…

19Feb 2021 by admin No Comments

Nicaraguan civil society and international experts call for a new Human Rights Council resolution to address the crisis in Nicaragua

English, IACHR, Nicaragua, OAS, Race and Equality

Washington, D.C., February 18th, 2021.- As the United Nations Human Rights Council prepares to open its 46th period of sessions, representatives of Nicaraguan civil society, including victims of human rights violations, joined international experts from the UN and the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) to urge the Council to approve a resolution strengthening High Commissioner Michelle Bachelet’s mandate to monitor Nicaragua’s human rights crisis. The event "The role of the United Nations Human Rights Council in the face of the continuing human rights crisis in Nicaragua" included the participation of Thelma Montenegro, family member of two political prisoners and four people killed in the context of the repression unleashed by the social protests of April 2018; Lottie Cunningham, founder and president of the Center for Justice and Human Rights…

19Feb 2021 by admin No Comments

Race and Equality celebrates Brazil’s ratification of the Inter-American Convention against Racism

Afro-descendant, Blog, Brazil, Brazil, Discrimination, OAS, OAS, OEA

Brazil, February 19th, 2021 - The International Institute on Race, Equality and Human Rights (Race and Equality) congratulates the Brazilian State for its ratification of the Inter-American Convention against Racism, Racial Discrimination and Related Forms of Intolerance [1], originally signed by the member countries of the Organization of American States (OAS) in Guatemala in 2013 [2]. The Brazilian Senate’s ratification of the Convention marks a major achievement for the Afro-Brazilian movement, which has fought for the adoption and strengthening of the Convention for over 20 years. In signing and ratifying the convention, Brazil has committed to fighting intolerance and racism, presenting an opportunity to break with the racism ingrained in Brazilian society. With its ratification, the Convention gains the status of a constitutional amendment in Brazil, allowing laws which go against its statutes to be challenged in court. These…

14Dec 2020 by admin No Comments

IACHR Thematic Hearing: Nicaraguan Civil Society Exposes the Situation of 110 Political Prisoners

English, IACHR, Nicaragua, OAS

Washington, D.C.; December 10, 2020. At a hearing held today during the 178th Period of Sessions of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR), Nicaraguan human rights defenders presented evidence of serious rights violations against 110 people who are imprisoned for political reasons. Ana Bolaños, Legal Program Officer at Race and Equality; Juanita Jiménez of the Autonomous Women’s Movement (MAM); Rosario Flores from the Meso-American Human Rights Defenders Initiative (IM-Defensoras) and Georgina Ruiz of the Nicaraguan Center for Human Rights (CENIDH) gave testimony during the hearing along with Elton Ortega and Alexandra Salazar from the Legal Defense Unit of Nicaragua (UDJ). These organizations collaborated to solicit a hearing on the topic of political prisoners. The participants emphasized that of these 110 political prisoners, imprisoned for their roles in the protests…

08Oct 2020 by admin No Comments

Colombian civil society reveals the vulnerability of indigenous peoples, Afro-descendant communities, campesinas, and social leaders victimized by the armed conflict

Colombia, English, IACHR, OAS, Race and Equality

Bogotá, October 5, 2020.- At a thematic hearing of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR), Colombian civil society organizations presented reports on the vulnerability of indigenous peoples, Afro-descendant communities, campesinas, and social leaders who were previously victimized by Colombia’s armed conflict to human rights violations. The presenting organizations asked to IACHR to deepen its efforts to support the implementation of the Colombian Peace Accords, especially Chapter 6.2 on ethnic minority groups, known as the “Ethnic Chapter,” and the Collective Reparations Program established by Law 1448 (2011) and Decree 4635 (2011). The hearing, entitled “Reports of vulnerability among Colombian armed conflict victims: indigenous, Afro-descendant, and campesino communities and social leaders,” was requested by a coalition of organizations, including the International Institute on Race, Equality and Human Rights (Race and Equality).…