Part II Means of Protection, Ch.VIII Inter-American Court of Human Rights, s.1 Organization, Article 52

This chapter looks at Article 52 of the American Convention on Human Rights (ACHR), which is devoted to the Inter-American Court. The Inter-American Court is designed by Article 33 of the Convention as one of the two bodies in charge of the “matters relating to the fulfillment of the commitments made by the States Parties to the Convention.” Article 52 of the ACHR describes the composition of the Court, that is, seven judges, as well as the conditions and prerequisites for eligibility, in terms of nationality and qualifications. The provision cannot be detached from the following two provisions: Article 53 lays down the voting rules for election, while Article 54 sets out the duration and the number of terms of office a judge is entitled to. Article 52 may also be read in conjunction with Article 71 of the ACHR and Article 18 of the Statute of the Inter-American Court, which establish and clarify incompatibilities with the mandate of a judge.