For several days now, a malicious video full of falsehoods has been circulating in which prominent regional far-right figures attack, above all, Andrea Pochak, Vice President of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR). Through her, the attack extends to the IACHR itself, aiming to undermine its historic role in protecting human rights, and is part of a broader effort to impose ultra-conservative values and principles. They also attack CELS because it is the human rights organization where the individuals facing these false accusations previously worked, in an effort to create the appearance of a conflict of interest.

Among other arguments, they claim that appealing to the United Nations or the Inter-American System amounts to acting against one’s country, and that these supranational bodies undermine sovereignty. International treaties are binding because States chose to be bound by them. International human rights systems were created precisely to provide individuals with legal and political tools to counter potential abuses of state power. Their fundamental premise is that basic rights should not depend solely on the circumstantial will of governments or political majorities. For this reason, efforts to weaken and dismantle these protection mechanisms are the hallmark of an authoritarian project.

These acts of defamation serve as a form of retaliation, intended to undermine the legitimacy of institutions, organizations, and human rights defenders. They also target a specific form of collective action: the pursuit of justice through international protection systems when local courts fail to provide a remedy. Ultimately, these attacks are one and the same—an attack on the human rights movement, both national and international, and on the defense of human dignity.