On March 3, the Honorable Eduardo Ferrer Mac-Gregor, a judge on the Inter-American Court of Human Rights, presented a lecture on “Criminal Law in the Jurisprudence of the Inter-American Court of Human Rights” at Fordham Law. The event was hosted by the Global Law Society, the Latin American Law Students Association, and the Office of International and Non-J.D. Programs.
The Inter-American Court of Human Rights is responsible for overseeing compliance with the American Convention on Human Rights. Twenty-five of the 35 member states within the Organization of American States have ratified the convention.
During his talk, Mac-Gregor spoke extensively on the Inter-American Court’s history and the treaties that helped inform its creation. He also explained the scope of the court’s jurisdiction. Judge Mac-Gregor said the court hears cases on torture and other cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment, extrajudicial execution, military jurisdiction, amnesty laws, abuse in the exercise of freedom of expression, and capital punishment. According to Mac-Gregor, forced disappearance of persons make up 22 percent of the cases heard by the court.
Mac-Gregor went on to address the court’s current challenges, including the absence of women serving on the court. He explained that in June the court will be selecting four new judges who will take their positions in January 2016.