“Imperfect democracies”, concern for the new president of the Inter-American Court

The “imperfect democracies” and the consequences that the most vulnerable groups suffer from the pandemic of the COVID-19 are some of the concerns that the Uruguayan Ricardo Pérez Manrique maintains, who has just been elected president of the Inter-American Court of Human Rights (Inter-American Court of Human Rights).

Days after learning about the decision adopted during the 145th Ordinary Period of Sessions, which will lead him to occupy his new position from January 1, 2022 to December 31, 2023, he offers an interview to EFE.

In addition, it focuses on the migratory phenomenon, on the situation of people who defend human rights and that of journalists.

Sitting in his office in Montevideo, who was also president of the Supreme Court of Justice of his country stresses, at 74, that retirement was never an option because he wanted to develop “a useful activity for society and for the Law. ”.

Imperfect democracies

Ready to assume his new role in just over a month, Pérez Manrique says that the next two years are going to be “very special” due to the internal renewal of the Inter-American Court but, above all, because in the region there is “a progressive deterioration in some aspects of democratic systems ”, what is known as“ imperfect democracies ”.

“The Court says that it is risky for democracy that there are presidents who want to stay in power indefinitely, regardless of whether or not it may be through electoral channels. The Court says that: that we must affirm the rule of law and affirm representative democracy ”, he explains.

And he adds: “What is necessary is to think of forms of democracy that, starting from its essential base of governments of the people, by the people and for the people, enable the participation of all voices in the debate and forms of decision-making. public, in a way that is as democratic and participatory as possible ”.

From COVID-19 to migration

For Pérez Manrique, another of the region’s problems is the economic, social, educational and cultural “harsh consequences” faced by the most vulnerable groups as a result of the pandemic.

“There are people who, due to COVID-19, suddenly found that they had to stay locked up in their homes and had no possibility of going out to look for their daily sustenance, because they lived in informality. We are discovering that in many countries of the region informality exceeds 50%, which is a pool of people who are in a situation of absolute vulnerability ”, he points out.

His wish is for a “more inclusive” world to exist and with “fairer societies”, since, for example, the pandemic further isolated indigenous peoples without internet access.

On the other hand, Pérez Manrique talks about other phenomena that he calls “absolutely worrying”, such as migration.

“There are thousands of people who are faced with all kinds of suffering, hardship and violations of their Human Rights. We have the phenomenon of six million Venezuelan emigrants and there are still problems, especially in very large countries with internal movements to places where it is assumed that people, by a natural instinct, are going to seek a better standard of living, “he says.

The press

Pérez Manrique also talks about the situation of journalists, a matter he has already spoken about on several occasions.

“We are concerned about the situation of journalists and freedom of expression on the continent,” he says.

Within this concern, the number of reporters who have died in the exercise of the profession, pressure and threats suffered, or discrimination or discrediting by gender stands out.

“All this is a situation that should call us to reflection,” concludes Pérez Manrique, doctor in Law and Social Sciences from the University of the Uruguayan Republic.

With all this, the new president highlights that the Inter-American Court has a “very strong challenge” on the continent and indicates the importance of giving the peoples of Latin America the greatest assurance that the court will work for the human rights of the people.

“I believe that the great mission will be to maintain and increase, as far as possible, the prestige of the Court through the decisions it makes, through its jurisprudence, but also through its presence in court. and its openness to dialogue with national courts, with civil society and with the states ”, he concludes.