Derechos humanos y crímenes de lesa humanidad en América Latina

Abstract

The author presents in this article the main activities, at the international level, to prevent and penalize crimes against humanity, as well as the legal elements on which these activities are based. She considers whether human rights violations —during dictatorships and other authoritarian regimes in the second half of the 21st century— may be classified as crimes against humanity. Moreover, the author discusses the role of international organisms in relation to the crimes committed in Latin America —in particular, the function of the Inter-American Court of Human Rights. She also analyzes the relationship that exists between actions within each country in the region and at the international level, and those that took place through the international system in the cases of Chile and Argentina during the transition to democracy.