Five human rights groups from across the region—WOLA (US), PROVEA (Venezuela), Conectas (Brazil), CELS (Argentina), and the Madres de la Plaza de Mayo—Linea fundadora (Argentina)—published an Op Ed today calling for countries participating in the Summit of the Americas to strengthen the multilateral defense of human rights (read it here in English and here in Spanish).
The Op Ed argues that the rapprochement between the US and Cuba as well as the election of Luis Almagro as the new Secretary General provide an opportunity to restore the Organization for American States’ relevance as a body dedicated to the multilateral resolution of political conflicts.
The Op Ed urges countries to: ensure that Venezuela respects human rights, encourage it to rejoin the Inter-American Convention and advocate for dialogue and fair elections. They also suggest that countries participating in the Summit strongly condemn the United States’ unilateral sanctions.
