In past decades, Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Paraguay, and Uruguay experienced dictatorships; later, Colombia, Guatemala, El Salvador, and Peru went through internal armed conflicts, leaving a painful legacy in their societies. During these periods of political violence, state and non-state actors committed large-scale human rights abuses, including arbitrary detentions, torture, enforced disappearances, sexual violence, and extrajudicial executions. Many of these abuses constituted international crimes: genocide, war crimes, and/or crimes against humanity under international criminal law, as they were carried out as part of state policies and plans, in a widespread and systematic manner.

Following the return to democracy, and after the fall of amnesty laws and statutes of limitations, trials were held across the region to determine the responsibility of the perpetrators, from Argentina to Guatemala, with varying degrees of complexity and success.

Today, on one hand, the prosecution and accountability for past atrocities continue to face obstacles. On the other hand, new international crimes have emerged in countries with repressive governments and weak democracies, such as Nicaragua, Venezuela, and El Salvador.

DPLF works in these contexts to promote accountability for both past and present international crimes in domestic justice processes, supporting local civil society and justice systems through the submission of amicus curiae briefs, as in the case of the El Mozote massacre in El Salvador. We also advocate for attention from the Inter-American human rights system and UN mechanisms, particularly when domestic justice is not functioning properly.

In Venezuela, for example, alongside a broad coalition of local and international organizations, we are promoting the advancement of the preliminary investigation opened by the International Criminal Court (ICC). Additionally, we advocate for the work of the UN-created Independent International Fact-Finding Mission to evaluate the human rights situation in that country, including the commission of crimes against humanity. Furthermore, we support litigation in third countries related to corruption tied to such crimes through innovative analysis and partnerships.