The fourth instance theory in the international process of investigating human rights violations
Keywords:
theory of the fourth instance, international responsibility, human rights, exhaustion of domestic remediesAbstract
The purpose of this paper is to research the so-called fourth instance formula within the scope of international mechanisms for the protection of human rights. Our objective is to demonstrate that the theory of the fourth instance – adopted by the European and American regional systems for the protection of human rights – reveals itself as limit reserved for the analysis and investigation of human rights violations by States, serving as a procedural condition and even as a requirement of admissibility for processing and investigating alleged violations. By making a brief study of the conditions necessary to seek the collective or institutional mechanisms for measuring human rights violations, we intend to demonstrate that, although it presents itself as a restriction or limit, the theory of the fourth instance is a relevant means of insurgency against illegalities or arbitrariness practiced in due legal process, invocable not as an appeals procedure but as a legitimate and internationally recognized procedural means against violations of human rights.
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