The African Court of Human and Peoples’ Rights, the European Court of Human Rights and the Inter-American Court of Human Rights called to promote and safeguard the independence and impartiality of their judicial systems and guarantee the integrity of judges in their respective regions, at a meeting of the three regional courts held in San José, Costa Rica, on May 25 and 26.
The call is included in the “Declaration of San José (II)” that considers the Declaration of San José of July 18, 2018, in which the three tribunals affirmed that the objective of their institutional dialogue is to strengthen the protection of human rights and access to international justice for people under the jurisdiction of the three Tribunals, to contribute to state efforts to strengthen their democratic institutions and human rights protection mechanisms.
The promotion and safeguarding of the independence of the judicial systems, includes the strengthening of the mechanisms for the selection and appointment of judges, as well as the guarantee of the security and protection of judges against undue pressure or interference, and furthermore the promotion of an impartial and transparent administration of justice.
The three tribunals also called on the States under their respective jurisdictions to guarantee the effective protection of democracy, human rights and sustainable development, which they consider essential to preserve peace and respect for the dignity of the human being.
According to the document, democracy, good governance and effective access to justice and the independence of the judiciary are essential for the protection and realization of human rights and effective democracy based on the rule of law.
The judicial system in Latin America is the subject of expert questions due to the delay in the processes, the difficulty of access, high litigation costs, lack of credibility of judges, lack of Moderna judicial tools and the lack of effectiveness in the enforcement of sentences.