During the 55th General Assembly of the OAS held in Antigua and Barbuda, three new members were selected to join the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR).
The inclusion of Rosa María Payá, nominated by the United States, represents a major victory for the right and will help preserve the current ideological balance within the organization.
Payá, a prominent Cuban human rights activist and exile in Miami, received strong support from U.S. Senator Marco Rubio. She is the daughter of Oswaldo Payá, an opposition leader murdered by the Cuban communist regime.
Rosa María Payá
Unlike the other two elected candidates, Payá did not support or participate in campaigns in favor of abortion or gender ideology. In addition, she is known for respecting the sovereignty of States and the rights enshrined in the American Convention on Human Rights.
Another new member is Marion Bethel, a native of the Bahamas, chosen as the representative of the Caribbean. Bethel has been part of the UN Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) and is a promoter of policies related to abortion and gender issues.
After a series of very close votes between the far-left candidates Fábio de Sá e Silva (Brazil) and José Luis Caballero Ochoa (Mexico), neither obtained enough votes.
Rosa María Payá y Marco Rubio.
Therefore, the decision was left to the Permanent Council, which will appoint the third new commissioner within two weeks. Both candidates have shown positions contrary to rights related to life, family, and freedom.
Sebastián Schuff, president of the Global Center for Human Rights, stated: “Rosa María Payá's entry into the IACHR will maintain the firm defense of the essential rights established in the American Convention, such as life, family, freedom, and sovereignty, which some commissioners still defend. He points out something key: the renewed interest of the United States in the region.”
The IACHR is the body responsible for guiding human rights policy in the Americas. In recent years, a majority of commissioners have promoted the murder of babies, gender ideology, and supported communist dictatorships such as those in Cuba, Venezuela, and Nicaragua, altering the original spirit of the institution.
Each election process highlights the intense political and ideological struggle taking place across the continent, which now has more active participation from the Donald Trump administration.
