Inter-American court to hear right to information case

The case, reports the Justice Initiative, was referred this month to the court by the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, an auxiliary body of the court, following the Commission’s April, 2004, finding that Chile had violated the American Convention on Human Rights. In 2004, the Inter-American Commission issued a preliminary report on the request by the Terram Foundation, a Chilean environmental NGO, for information about a major logging undertaking known as the Condor River project. The commission concluded that Chile had violated the applicants’ rights under Article 13 of the American Convention, guaranteeing the right to access public information. The Commission urged Chile to remedy the situation within 60 days. Following Chile’s failure to comply within that period, the Commission referred the case to the court for adjudication. Full Justice Initiative report Friend of the court brief by Justice Initiative and others