WASHINGTON, Jan 7, CMC -The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) is calling for the immediate release of people detained for political reasons in the Americas and whose arrests take place in a context of arbitrary judicial persecution and who face detention conditions that violate their rights.
The IACHR, a principal and autonomous body of the Organization of American States (OAS), said it has been monitoring arbitrary detentions to persecute people with political-ideological disagreements with the governments in power, or who legitimately exercise the freedoms of expression, assembly and association, or defend human rights.
It said these practices are used by authoritarian governments characterized by the subordination of the justice system to the Executive Branch.
“In addition, people detained in this scenario face violations of due process and excessive use of pretrial detention,” the IACHR said, noting that these practices have been documented in at least Cuba, Nicaragua and Venezuela.
It said during 2024, the Commission documented deplorable conditions of detention and patterns that include the lack of official information on the situation and accommodation of detainees; lack of access to drinking water and adequate food; unsanitary conditions; absence of medical care; and restrictions on receiving visitors and exchanging correspondence.
For its part, the IACHR has highlighted that women detained for political reasons, for their work as defenders or for participating in protests face the use of various torture practices as a means of obtaining information or punishing and humiliating them, both at the time of their arrests and during their deprivation of liberty.
The IACHR recalls that every person has the right to be protected against any type of illegal or arbitrary deprivation of liberty.
“States must also guarantee the life and personal integrity of persons deprived of liberty. This includes providing official and up-to-date information on their situation, ensuring conditions of detention compatible with human dignity, and guaranteeing visits and direct and regular contact with their families.”
Furthermore, the IACHR reiterates that penitentiary services must be adapted to the needs of old age in order to overcome negligence in medical care, lack of physical accessibility in prison facilities, and difficulties in preserving family ties.
“States must also incorporate a gender perspective and a differentiated approach in the prevention, combat and punishment of all acts of torture and ill-treatment, with special attention to those committed against political prisoners.”
The IACHR said it is urging member states in the Americas to ensure full respect for judicial guarantees and the fundamental rights and principles established in the American Convention on Human Rights and in the American Declaration of the Rights and Duties of Man, which must govern all criminal proceedings.
“In this regard, it urges the States to immediately release persons detained for political reasons throughout the hemisphere.”
CMC/af/ir/2025