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(E-021/01)
January 31, 2001

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PERU RESTORES ITS RELATIONSHIP WITH THE
INTER-AMERICAN COURT OF HUMAN RIGHTS

 

The government of Peru today deposited with the Organization of American States the instruments restoring its recognition of the binding jurisdiction of the Costa Rica-based Inter-American Court of Human Rights.

Presenting the legal instrument to OAS Secretary General César Gaviria, Peru's Permanent Representative to the OAS, Ambassador Manuel Rodríguez Cuadros, declared that it "gives back to 26 million Peruvian men and women the legal protection needed to invoke their rights and to seek recourse before the Inter-American Court of Human Rights, whenever their individual freedoms and fundamental rights are violated."

The Peruvian diplomat said the move strengthened the inter-American system to protect human rights and democracy--"testimony to how the Peruvian government has used its influence and political will in deciding to normalize how it relates to the binding jurisdiction of the Court."

Secretary General Gaviria praised Peru for this "solemn and sovereign" decision to accept the jurisdiction of the Inter-American Court of Human Rights. He noted that it "reflects the consensus inside Peru surrounding compliance with the decisions of the inter-American human rights system as the cornerstone of its integrity and legitimacy."

The Secretary General also praised Peru's President Valentín Paniagua and Foreign Minister Javier Pérez de Cuéllar, saying they "run a clean and democratic government that respects the rights of everyone and is clearly committed to honoring the country's international obligations."

Among those present at the ceremony were Costa Rica's Minister of Foreign Affairs, Roberto Rojas; Chairman of the OAS Permanent Council, Chile's Ambassador Esteban Tomic; OAS Assistant Secretary General Luigi Einaudi; several member country ambassadors; and senior OAS officials and guests.

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