Publisher's Synopsis
This book provides a comprehensive account of the inter-American human rights system. It begins by tracing the development of the complex legal and institutional structure which underpins the system and by examining the emergence of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights within the context of the Organisation of American States (OAS). It then examines the origins and structure of the American Convention on Human Rights and its major organs, the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights and the Inter-American Court of Human Rights. The competences of the Commission as both an OAS Charter and Convention organ are analysed in detail, with particular attention being paid to the system of individual petitions under both instruments. A central component of this work, however, is a detailed commentary on the jurisprudence of the Commission and the Court and the extent to which it has contributed to international human rights law. The book concludes with an assessment of the effectiveness of the system as a whole.
