Multilateral Treaties

[Treaty] [text in Spanish]

A-47: CONVENTION ON TERRITORIAL ASYLUM
ADOPTED AT: CARACAS, VENEZUELA
DATE: 03/28/54
CONF/ASSEM/MEETING: TENTH INTER-AMERICAN CONFERENCE
ENTRY INTO FORCE: 12/29/54,  IN ACCORDANCE WITH ARTICLE XIV OF THE CONVENTION 
DEPOSITORY: GENERAL SECRETARIAT, OAS (ORIGINAL INSTRUMENT AND RATIFICATIONS)
TEXT: OAS, TREATY SERIES, NO. 19           
UN REGISTRATION: 03/20/89  No. 24378   Vol.
OBSERVATIONS:                                                             
GENERAL INFORMATION OF THE TREATY: A-47
COUNTRY SIGNATURE RATIFICATION/ACCESSION DEPOSIT INFORMATION*
Antigua & Barbuda - - - -
Argentina 03/28/54 - - Yes
Bahamas - - - -
Barbados - - - -
Belize - - - -
Bolivia 03/28/54 - - -
Brazil 03/28/54 11/18/64 01/14/65 RA -
Canada - - - -
Chile 03/28/54 - - -
Colombia 03/28/54 11/13/68 12/11/68 RA -
Costa Rica 06/16/54 01/13/55 02/24/55 RA -
Cuba 03/28/54 - - -
Dominica - - - -
Dominican Republic 03/28/54 - - Yes
Ecuador 03/28/54 03/20/55 08/11/55 RA -
El Salvador 03/28/54 09/06/54 09/28/54 RA -
Grenada - - - -
Guatemala 03/28/54 02/28/83 05/13/83 RA Yes
Guyana - - - -
Haiti 03/28/54 01/18/55 02/18/55 RA Yes
Honduras 03/28/54 - - Yes
Jamaica - - - -
Mexico 03/28/54 03/02/81 04/03/82 RA Yes
Nicaragua 03/28/54 - - -
Panama 03/28/54 01/16/58 03/19/58 RA -
Paraguay 03/28/54 10/04/56 01/25/57 RA -
Peru 03/28/54 - - Yes
St. Kitts & Nevis - - - -
St. Lucia - - - -
St. Vincent & Grenadines - - - -
Suriname - - - -
Trinidad & Tobago - - - -
United States - - - -
Uruguay 03/28/54 06/06/67 08/09/67 RA -
Venezuela 03/28/54 12/15/54 12/29/54 RA -

*DECLARATIONS/RESERVATIONS/DENUNCIATIONS/WITHDRAWLS

Argentina:
(Reservation made at the time of signature)                                
   The Delegation of Argentina has voted in favor of the Convention regarding Territorial Asylum, but makes express reservation in regard to Article VII, as it believes that the latter does not duly
consider nor satisfactorily resolve the problem arising from the exercise, on the part of political asylees, of the right of freedom of expression of thought.
Guatemala:
(Reservation made at the time of signature)                                
   We make express reservation to Article III (three) wherein it refers to the surrender of persons persecuted for political reasons or offenses; because according to the provisions of our Political             
Constitution, we maintain that such surrender of persons persecuted for political reasons may never be carried out.

   We affirm, likewise, that the term "internment" in Article IX means merely location at a distance from the border.                          
Honduras:
(Reservations made at the time of signature)                               
   The Delegation of Honduras gives its approval to the Convention regarding territorial asylum with reservations with respect to those articles opposed to the Constitution and to the laws in force in the Republic of Honduras.
Mexico:                                                                    
(Reservation made at the time of signature)
   The Delegation of Mexico makes express reservation to Articles IX and X of the Convention regarding territorial asylum because they are contrary to the individual guarantees enjoyed by all the                  
inhabitants of the Republic in accordance with the Political Constitution of Mexico.

(Reservation made at the time of ratification)
   The instrument of ratification was received at the General Secretariat of the Organization of American States on March 24, 1981, with a reservation.  Notification of the reservation submitted was given in conformity with the provisions of the Standards on Reservations of the General Secretariat.  The twelve-month period for the notification of said reservation expired on April 2, 1982 without any objections being raised to the reservation.

The text of the reservation is the following:

The Government of Mexico makes express reservation to Article X because it is contrary to the individual guarantees enjoyed by all the inhabitants of the Republic in accordance with the Political              
Constitution of the United Mexican States.
Peru:                                                                      
(Reservation made at the time of signature)                                
   The Delegation of Peru makes reservation to the text of Article VII of the Convention regarding territorial asylum, insofar as it differs from Article VI of the draft proposal of the Inter-American           
Council of Jurists, with which the delegation concurs.                        
Dominican Republic:                                                        
(Reservations made at the time of signature)                               
   Article  I: The Dominican Republic accepts the general principle embodied in that article in the sense that, "Every State has the right to admit into its territory such persons as it deems advisable," but it does not renounce the right to make diplomatic representation to any other State, if for considerations of national security it deems this advisable.

   Article II: It accepts the second paragraph of this article with the understanding that the latter does not affect the regulations of the frontier police.

   Article X:   The Dominican Republic does not renounce the right to resort to the procedures for pacific settlement of international disputes that may arise from the exercise of territorial asylum.

Haiti:

Denunciation: 08/01/67

Withdraw of Denunciation: 12/01/74

[Text of the Treaty]