-Published: Monday, November 25, 2019-




By the A.M. Costa Rica staff

The Inter-American Court of Human Rights announced Friday the election of Costa Rican Judge Elizabeth Odio-Benito as its president.

According to the court, Odio will replace the current president, Mexican Judge Eduardo Ferrer Mac-Gregor Poisot, starting on Jan. 1.

‘‘ The region faces great challenges that require a perspective that integrates unrestricted respect for human rights as a central point to the problems that affect us, "said Odio in her acceptance speech of the presidency of the Court.

Odio has been one of the judges of the Inter-American court since 2016.

Odio was a judge of the International Criminal Court from 2003 to 2012. She was also a judge of the International Criminal Court for the former Yugoslavia from 1993 to 1998.

In Costa Rica, she was a vice president in 2002, minister of Environment in 1998 and minister of Justice in 1990.

Odio has been a member of the Costa Rican national group of the Permanent Court of Arbitration.

She also has received several awards, including a nomination for the 1000 Women of Peace for the Nobel Peace Prize 2005.

In 2013, the General Council of the Judiciary of the government of Spain awarded her a prize for her work in the effort to eradicate of gender violence.

The Inter-American Court of Human Rights is an autonomous judicial institution based in Costa Rica. Together with the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, it makes up the human rights protection system of the Organization of American States, which serves to uphold and promote basic rights and freedoms in the Americas.

As an example of its work, in July the court ordered Nicaragua to adopt urgent measures to protect the life and integrity of the members of the human rights defense organizations.

According to a court resolution, Nicaragua was requested to immediately adopt the necessary measures to avoid irreparable damage and to effectively protect the life and personal integrity of the members of the organizations.

"These measures must be adopted to ensure the continuity of their work in defense of human rights without being submitted to harassment, threats or aggression," said the court on its statement.

In June the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights submitted a request for provisional measures to the Inter-American  Court. The commission detailed the threats and harassment suffered by numerous members of both organizations.

After analyzing the request, the observations of the state, as well as the evidence provided, the president considered that there were sufficient elements to determine the existence of a situation of extreme gravity, said the court.








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Besides rule against the violation of human rights, what should the court do guarantee the respect of humans rights in countries like Nicaragua?  We would like to know your thoughts on this story. Send your comments to news@amcostarica.com