The present volume represents an outstanding academic effort to serve as a comprehensive
guide to the study of the American Convention on Human Rights as well as of
its interpretation through the Inter-American Court’s jurisprudence. In this article-byarticle
commentary, the authors wisely explain, on the one hand, the profound and farreaching
case law developments of the Inter-American Court. On the other hand, the
book evidences a deep understanding of the political, juridical, and social complexities of
the Americas. The authors critically and argumentatively reflect on the context and the
specifics of a region that has shaped a new architype of international law. The American
Convention on Human Rights is a ‘‘living instrument’’—as the Inter-American Court
has constantly called it—and has provided the basis for the most avant-garde and progressive
human rights standards aiming to transform the international law paradigm.
Following its mandate, the Inter-American Court has always put at the forefront of its
mandate a victim-centered approach prioritizing the judicial protection of the victims’
rights and enhancing the reparations regime for violations of human rights. However,
to understand the complexities of the American Convention is equally challenging as to
acknowledge the problems, the accomplishments, and the unique context of the region.
This combined formula of the authors allows the reader to have both, a well-researched
academic perspective and an authentic and critical approach to the American Convention
on Human Rights. Unquestionably, this book is the most comprehensive work on the
American Convention for the English-speaking world. It is also the most updated, since
it contains the decisions of the Court up to 2021. Therefore, it is with great enthusiasm
that I present this book that will undeniably constitute an important tool for the researcher,
legal practitioners, academics, students, and activists.