Since my classes are in the night time from 7pm -11pm I most often can sleep later than what I use to sleep back in the states. This morning however, I woke up bright and early to head to MERCORSUR. There I had the opportunity to witness a tribunal of the Inter-American Court of Human Rights. As an international Relations student and enthusiast of Human Rights, it was a great opportunity to see such a tribunal take place.
The Court, established in 1979, is an autonomous judicial institution of the Organization of American States. It interprets and applies the American Convention on Human Rights and other treaties concerning the matter. The jurists are from member states, and the current panel’s president is from Peru.
The case we heard today was concerning slander. A Panamanian human rights defender, Santander Tristán Donoso, was being sued for publishing slanderous articles about the Attorney General of Panama. Tomorrow, another case will be heard concerning the country of Bolivia and the court's sessions will end in the afternoon.
