Washington, D.C., October 21, 2009 – The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) announces the schedule of hearings for its 137th period of sessions, which will take place from October 28 to November 13, 2009. The hearings will be held on November 2, 3, 5 and 6 in the General Secretariat Building of the Organization of American States (OAS), at 1889 F St. NW, Washington, D.C., 20006.

Audio recordings of all public hearings will be posted on the Commission’s Web site (www.iachr.org). During the sessions, the hearings held in the Padilha Vidal Room on the TL Level of the building, will be webcast live on the OAS site (www.oas.org). The videos of those hearings will also be posted on the Web sites of both the OAS and the Commission. Those interested may request high-quality copies of the recordings.

Private hearings will not be webcast, nor will video or audio recordings be available, and no members of the public or the press will be allowed to enter.

Anyone interested in attending the public hearings may do so, and no advance registration is required. Journalists do not need any special accreditation.

A principal, autonomous body of the Organization of American States (OAS), the IACHR derives its mandate from the OAS Charter and the American Convention on Human Rights. The Inter-American Commission has the mandate to promote respect for human rights in the region and acts as a consultative body to the OAS in this matter. The Commission is composed of seven independent members who act in a personal capacity, without representing a particular country, and who are elected by the OAS General Assembly.

Schedule of Hearings for 137th Period of Sessions
IACHR Press Office
Guidelines for Press Coverage of Public Hearings
Page of Videos and Audio Recordings of Public Hearings

Source: Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR)

Reference: IACHR75/09