| Description: |
This document analyzes some of the decisions issued by the Constitutional Chamber of the Supreme Court of Justice (SC/TSJ) of Venezuela. It argues that, through its interpretation of decisions by the Inter-American Court of Human Rights (IACHR), the SC/TSJ devalues the enjoyment of the rights enshrined in the Constitution of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela (CRBV). First, the SC/TSJ has held that the judgments of the IACHR are not binding on the Venezuelan State, as evidenced by Judgments No. 1939 of 2008 and No. 1942 of 2003. These decisions by this highest judicial body violate the obligations acquired by Venezuela when it signed and ratified the American Convention on Human Rights (ACHR) in 1977 and recognized the jurisdiction of the Inter-American Court of Human Rights (IACHR) in 1981. A qualitative methodology is used that includes the analysis of constitutional texts, judgments of the SC/TSJ and IACHR, and relevant academic literature. |