How to read legal citations in the Inter-American Court of Human Rights
The Inter-American Court hears cases about the American Convention on Human Rights. Its judgments on contested cases are in Series C, and each has a number. Because decisions can come in several stages (preliminary objections, merits, reparations), the citation also names the stage.
Updated October 2026. Spotted a mistake? Tell us.
Style guide: The Court's own numbering (Series C). The Inter-American Court publishes its decisions in numbered series. Each judgment and order carries a series letter and a number, and the Court's website is the authority.
Real citations, decoded
Click or hover over any underlined piece to see what it means.
A merits judgment Case
, , ,
- Case name Velásquez Rodríguez v. Honduras
The case is named after the victim, and the respondent is the state. This is the Court's first contested case, about a forced disappearance. - Stage Merits
The stage of the case. The merits judgment decides whether the state violated the Convention. Other stages are preliminary objections and reparations. - Type and date Judgment of July 29, 1988
The type of decision and its date. - Series and number Inter-Am. Ct. H.R. (Ser. C) No. 4
The Court's own reports. Series C holds contested-case judgments, and this was the fourth.
The American Convention Treaty
(adopted 22 November 1969, entered into force 18 July 1978) ,
- Treaty American Convention on Human Rights
The main human-rights treaty of the Americas. - UN Treaty Series 1144 UNTS 123
The treaty is registered with the UN: volume 1144, page 123. - Article art 4(1)
Article 4(1) is the right to life, which is protected 'in general, from the moment of conception'.
Things to remember
- Series A is for advisory opinions, Series C for contested cases, and Series E for provisional measures.
- A case can have several judgments with different numbers, such as the merits judgment (No. 4) and the later reparations judgment (No. 7) in the same case.
- A contested case is named after the victim, with the state as the respondent, never after the person who carried out the violation.
- The Court is based in San José, Costa Rica. Its sister body, the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, is in Washington, D.C.
Where to find the text, free
- Inter-American Court of Human Rights
- Inter-American Commission on Human Rights
- University of Minnesota Human Rights Library: Inter-American system
Other legal systems
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TheLawToKnow Tools’s citation guide is an educational overview of standard conventions. Courts and journals sometimes vary, so check the style guide before submitting or publishing. It is not legal advice. Report a mistake.
