PRESS RELEASE
111/14
IACHR GRATEFULLY
RECOGNIZES THE WORK OF CATALINA BOTERO AS SPECIAL RAPPORTEUR FOR FREEDOM OF
EXPRESSION
Washington, D.C., October
3, 2014. – On October 5th, 2014 Catalina Botero finalizes her mandate as
Special Rapporteur for Freedom of Expression of the Inter-American Commission
on Human Rights (IACHR). The Colombian lawyer was appointed on July 21st, 2008
for a three-year mandate, which was renewed once for the same period of time,
according to the IACHR’s Rules of Procedure. The Uruguayan lawyer and
journalist Edison
Lanza will take the position as Special Rapporteur on October 6th.
The Inter-American
Commission takes this opportunity to recognize and support Catalina Botero’s
outstanding work as Rapporteur for Freedom of Expression during the time she
held the position, as well as the work of team of the Office of the Special
Rapporteur under her management.
The Commission
recognizes that, under Catalina Botero’s leadership, the Office of the Special
Rapporteur made substantial progress to strengthen the right to freedom of
expression in the inter-American legal framework. Her mandate was marked by
significant accomplishments in the development of inter-American standards on
this issue, by the promotion of their implementation in national law and by
strengthening the capacity of States and civil society in promoting the
exercise and scope of the right to freedom of expression.
IACHR’s President
Commissioner Tracy Robinson highlighted Catalina Botero’s tenure and noted that
"her work has advanced the thematic work of the Commission in relation to
freedom of expression and it is very much a tribute to the effectiveness of
that Special Rapporteurship that the Commission also considers it useful to
create a new Rapporteurship on economic, social and cultural rights".
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 a mandate to promote respect for human rights
in the region and acts as a consultative body to the OAS in this area. The
Commission is composed of seven independent members who are elected in an
individual capacity by the OAS General Assembly and who do not represent their
countries of origin or residence.