Part VII Assessments, Ch.39 Human Rights Make a Difference: Lessons from Latin America

Subject(s):

Right to language — Freedom of expression — Disappearances — Detention — Transitional justice — Democracy — Torture — Armed conflict — Reparation — Lex specialis

This article discusses the lessons that can be learned from the history of the enforcement of human rights law in Latin America. It explains that there were mass human rights violations in the region during the 1970s under military dictatorship and describes how the Latin American communities have adopted the language of international human rights to advance the construction of more just and free societies with accountable governments. It highlights the role of civil society in the gradual process of incorporating human rights norms into the domestic legal systems.