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This week the Inter-American Commission of Human Rights is having its 186th Period of Sessions at UCLA. This post is made up of highlights of each of the hearings from Friday, March 10, 2023.
Right to identity of trans persons in El Salvador
Participants: RedLacTrans, Arcoiris El Salvador (ASPIDH), State of El Salvador
By Erin Rubin
Contributed by Leah Bishop
Representatives of trans and LGBTQ+ rights organizations appeared before the Commission to request their assistance pressuring the government of El Salvador to pass laws protecting the trans and gender-nonconforming people from violence and discrimination. El Salvador’s supreme court has recognized the right of trans people to change their official identification documents, but the executive and legislative branches have failed to follow up on this directive, causing the loss of civil, political, economic, and cultural rights for trans people. Civil society representatives and members of the Commission commented on the fact of El Salvador’s absence, which represented a step backwards on this issue for the country; representatives and Commissioners interpreted El Salvador’s failure to attend the hearings as a dismissal of the activists’ concerns. Many trans women cannot obtain formal employment and rely on dangerous conditions and participation in the irregular labor market; very little data exists on trans men, as they are rendered invisible by the country’s refusal to provide recognition and by the prevalence of sexual and other violence against them. Representatives asked the Commission for special attention to their safety at the hearings, and all present acknowledged the importance of recognizing trans people’s right to recognition and protection by the state.
Human rights situation of the Garifuna people in Honduras
Participants: Organización Fraternal Negra Hondureña (OFRANEH), Regional Office of the United Nations High Commissioner of Human Rights, State of Honduras
By Leigh Marie Dannhauser
The Garifuna people of Honduras presented their dire situation to the IACHR this morning. The government of Honduras does not recognize their status as Indigenous peoples, and furthermore they are being violently targeted by 3rd parties in an attempt to force them from their ancestral lands in favor of mining and tourism interests, allegedly with the help of the national police. Honduras state representatives spoke at length about steps they have taken, including training the national police in respecting human rights, and stated their national police have not fired a single tear gas canister since February 2022. President Macaulay, president of the IACHR, challenged Honduras representatives’ testimonies, pointing out that both civil society and the Office of the High Commissioner of Human Rights would not have presented about recent activity of the national police should that be true. Commissioners said that any steps forward must include the Garifuna people.
Arbitrary deprivation of nationality and human rights violations in Nicaragua
Participant: State of Nicaragua
By Jay Parepally
Contributed by Leah Bishop
The last hearing of the Commission’s historic session in Los Angeles highlighted the tragic consequences in Nicaragua caused by Daniel Ortega’s repressive regime, which is responsible for numerous human rights abuses. Just a month ago, nearly one hundred convictions were made without due process of law. Once arbitrarily declared traitors to the homeland for speaking out against the government, people are detained and stripped of their nationality with their property and identification documents confiscated. More than three hundred Nicaraguans have been rendered stateless, thereby severing legal links to any nation. Testimonials at today’s hearing stressed the importance of the Commission’s ability to issue precautionary measures to attempt to help the Nicaraguan people. The Commissioners voiced their solidarity with the many people victimized by the Ortega regime and reiterated their commitment to monitor the situation closely and support Nicaraguans where possible.
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