PRESS RELEASE

IACHR RAPPORTEURS

N° 04/06

Today the Inter-American Commission formally inaugurates its 124^th regular sessions.  As part of the organization of its work, the IACHR appointed its Rapporteurs for thematic areas and for countries:

-       Evelio Fernández Arévalos, President: Chile, Ecuador, Costa Rica and Honduras.

-        Paulo Sérgio Pinheiro, First Vice President: Rapporteur on the Rights of the Child; Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, United States and Venezuela.

-        Florentín Meléndez, Second Vice President: Rapporteur on the rights of persons deprived of liberty ; Argentina, Bolivia, Mexico and the Dominican Republic.

-        Clare K. Roberts, Commissioner:  Rapporteur on the rights of persons of African descent, and against racial discrimination; Bahamas, Belize, Brazil, Canada, Dominica, Grenada, Haiti, Jamaica, San Kitts y Nevis, St. Lucia and St. Vincent and the Grenadines.

-        Freddy Gutiérrez, Commissioner: Rapporteur on the rights of migrant workers and their families; El Salvador, Panama and Uruguay.

-        Paolo Carozza, Commissioner: Rapporteur on the rights of indigenous peoples; Guyana, Paraguay, Peru, Suriname and Trinidad and Tobago.

-        Víctor Abramovich, Commissioner: Rapporteur on the rights of women; Colombia, Cuba, Nicaragua and Guatemala.

The IACHR is the principal organ under the Charter of the OAS, with responsibility for ensuring respect for human rights in all states of the American continent. It is comprised of seven independent human rights experts, who are elected in their individual capacities by the member states of the Organization. 

Washington, D.C., March 1st, 2006