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Opening of Chile´s Museum of Memory

  January 11, 2010

On the occasion of the opening of Chile's Museum of Memory, the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) congratulates the government and people of Chile for this significant project. IACHR Chair Luz Patricia Mejía, Vice-Chair Felipe González, and Executive Secretary Santiago A. Canton are representing the Commission at the opening ceremony.

The State of Chile's initiative represents an important symbol of the determination to combat impunity and create a democratic culture based on respect for human rights.

The Inter-American Commission has often talked about the fundamental value of recovering the historical memory of grave human rights violations as a mechanism to prevent such acts from being repeated. Along the same lines, the Inter-American Court of Human Rights has said that part of the process of comprehensive reparations for human rights violations involves carrying out ceremonies or works designed to publicly recover the memory of the victims.

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 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.

Reference: IACHR01/10