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PRESS RELEASE No. 6/03
ON-SITE
VISIT TO THE REPUBLIC OF GUATEMALA
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The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) will make an
on-site visit to the Republic of Guatemala from March 24 to 29, 2003, in
response to the invitation by the Government of President Alfonso
Portillo. The purpose of the
Commission’s visit will be to observe the human rights situation in the
country. The IACHR will
carefully monitor the status of the rule of law in Guatemala, in
particular regarding the administration of justice, the situation of
children at risk and indigenous peoples, and the implementation of the
Global Human Rights Accord. The
IACHR is a principal organ of the Organization of American States (OAS),
composed of seven members elected in their personal capacity by the OAS
General Assembly. The Commission’s mandate is to promote the observance of
human rights in the Hemisphere, in keeping with the parameters established
in the American Convention on Human Rights, to which Guatemala has been a
party since 1978. Among the
commitments undertaken by OAS member states and states parties to that
Convention is that of extending to the Commission all necessary facilities
to carry out its observation missions with full autonomy in the pursuit of
its mandate. The
IACHR delegation that is to visit Guatemala beginning on Monday, March 24,
will consist of its First Vice President, Dr. José Zalaquett; its Second
Vice President, Dr. Clare K. Roberts; members Dr. Susana Villarán,
Rapporteur for Guatemala; Dr. Julio Prado Vallejo, Rapporteur for
Indigenous Peoples; and the Executive Secretary of the IACHR, Dr. Santiago
A. Canton. The Special
Rapporteur for Freedom of Expression, Dr. Eduardo A. Bertoni, will also
accompany the delegation. During
its stay, the IACHR delegation will meet with government officials and
with representatives of different sectors of civil society, in Guatemala
City and in areas outside the capital.
The IACHR will be based at the Hotel Camino Real.
The IACHR will end its visit on March 29, 2003, with a press
conference at the Hotel Camino Real at 11:00 a.m. The
Commission is grateful for the cooperation and the facilities extended by
the Government of Guatemala, nongovernmental organizations, and other
civil society institutions in the planning and execution of this visit. Washington, D.C., March 20, 2003 |
