IACHR Receives Human Rights Information in 19 Regional and Country Public Hearings

November 21, 2025

Washington, DC—The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) concluded its 194th Period of Sessions, held from November 10 to 21. The week of public hearings took place at the University of Miami, in Coral Gables, Florida, United States, in conjunction with the Interdisciplinary Symposium on Human Rights in the Americas: An Examination of the Past, Present, and Future.

From November 17 to 21, 19 in-person public hearings were held on the human rights situation in 14 countries and at the regional level. The IACHR expresses its special gratitude to the Human Rights Program at the University of Miami for facilitating the holding of these hearings, which made it possible to address a broad and urgent human rights agenda in the region.

Among the central issues, the IACHR highlighted human mobility, with cross-border challenges that involve countries throughout the region, especially with respect to the protection of children and adolescents in contexts of displacement. In this regard, the IACHR expressed its concern about the context presented by the organizations and stressed the importance of promoting regional dialogues with civil society and the States, which contribute to ensuring the rights of children in human mobility.

The Commission also analyzed the situation of access to housing and the impacts of fiscal policies in the United States, underscoring the need for the measures adopted to guarantee equality, non-discrimination and dignified living conditions. Likewise, concerns about freedom of expression were addressed, highlighting the importance of safeguarding the work of journalists and media outlets in the face of pressures or restrictions that may affect public debate and the strengthening of democracy in Argentina.

In addition to these issues, situations related to the rights of indigenous peoples and Afro-descendants were reviewed, with an emphasis on LGBTI indigenous people in Brazil. As well as addressing violence against women, girls, and adolescents subjected to female genital mutilation, highlighting the urgent need to protect them from these practices.

The impacts of organized crime in Peru, the excessive use of force, the role of justice operators, the recruitment of children and adolescents, and the precautionary measures of prisoners whose whereabouts are unknown in Venezuela were also examined.

In relation to the Senkata and Sacaba massacres, which occurred in Bolivia in 2019, it was warned that the annulment of the judicial processes linked to these events constitutes a form of impunity and revictimization and puts at risk the victims' right to memory, justice, truth and reparation.

During this session, the IACHR held an open face-to-face meeting with civil society, in which representatives of at least 25 organizations participated, to address urgent human rights issues in the region.

As part of the human rights symposium held by the University of Miami School of Law, specialists from different countries spoke with the IACHR and with the public on a wide variety of priority issues. These include the intersection of human rights with democratic institutions and the rule of law, human mobility, housing, sports, and gender, racial and environmental justice.

On this occasion, the report on violence against indigenous peoples and Afro-descendants on the Caribbean Coast of Nicaragua was also presented, as well as the impact of corruption on human rights and the challenges in guaranteeing participation and reparation to victims. The Commission also held a meeting with journalists from the state of Florida, in which the role of the IACHR and the importance of public hearings were discussed.

In its internal sessions, the IACHR held a high-level meeting with the Caribbean Court of Justice, in which the protection of groups in vulnerable situations was discussed. This exchange was part of the 2025–2026 Joint Work Program, aimed at strengthening cooperation in the region.

In compliance with its mandate, the IACHR approved the country report on Colombia (result of the 2024 on-site visit). In addition, it held working meetings on precautionary measures related to Colombia, Guatemala, and Mexico, and highlighted the willingness of States to dialogue and agree on protection measures.

With regard to the mechanism for petitions and cases, the Commission approved two reports on the merits: one on the use of force in Ecuador and the other on the collective property of indigenous peoples in Costa Rica. It also analyzed measures to make its practices transparent in matters in the transition stage, with the aim of promoting compliance with the recommendations contained in the merits reports and giving greater visibility to the criteria for their publication or submission to the Inter-American Court.

The IACHR is also grateful for the participation of the States, civil society organizations, victims, and family members who participated in the public hearings and bilateral meetings. Their presence contributes to an agenda of constructive dialogue to guide the necessary responses to the various human rights challenges in the region. At the same time, it reiterates to States the need to strengthen their responses to guarantee the effective protection of human rights in the face of persistent challenges in the Americas.

Finally, the Commission recalls that, pursuant to Article 63 of its Rules of Procedure, States must guarantee the safety of all persons attending public hearings and refrain from any type of reprisal.

The recordings and all the information of the public hearings are available on www.cidh.org and on the official Youtube account. The images can be found on Flickr.

The IACHR is a principal and autonomous body of the Organization of American States (OAS), whose mandate stems from the OAS Charter and the American Convention on Human Rights. The Inter-American Commission has the mandate to promote the observance and defense of human rights in the region and acts as an advisory body to the OAS on the matter. The IACHR is made up of seven independent members who are elected by the OAS General Assembly in their personal capacity, and do not represent their countries of origin or residence.

No. 240/25

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