The responses of the Inter-American System of Human Rights to COVID-19

Abstract

https://doi.org/10.1590/2179-8966/2025/91059

This article presents results from three projects that investigated the behavior of public actors in response to new crises, focusing on the COVID-19 pandemic. The study analyzes the normative, administrative, and judicial reactions of the Inter-American Human Rights System (IAHRS), especially the actions of the Inter-American Court of Human Rights (IACHR) and the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR). The research adopted the criterion of the term “COVID-19” and considered the period from 2020 to 2023. The objective was to map the acts of the IAHRS related to the issue, identifying patterns of human rights violations during the pandemic. The results are still partial, and the approach is descriptive and quantitative. The methodology used is hermeneutic phenomenology. Its use paves the way for future analysis of the use of transitional justice mechanisms to address both old and new crises.