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PRODID:-//Session events Calendar//IBA//EN
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DTSTAMP:20260415T181524Z
DTSTART:20240919T171500Z
DTEND:20240919T183000Z
SUMMARY:Corruption and organised crime: can prosecutors and judges break 
 a vicious circle?
DESCRIPTION:One of the greatest threats to democracy in Latin America is 
 no longer the old-fashioned coup. The new way to autocracy is more subtl
 e\, with lawfully elected leaders systematically eroding key safeguards 
 to the separation of powers. They do so by chipping away at judicial ind
 ependence\, fair trial standards\, electoral fairness\, civic space\, fr
 eedom of expression and freedom of the press. This is coupled with persi
 stent and pervasive levels of corruption. It leads to governments stacki
 ng courts and undermining the autonomy of the judiciary\, with the aim o
 f limiting the checks on executive power.\n\nAgainst this backdrop\, the
  critical importance of a robust\, independent judiciary cannot be overs
 tated. A strong judiciary has proven to be a bulwark against democratic 
 backsliding in many Latin American countries like Brazil\, when the fede
 ral justice system upheld the electoral results in 2022\; or Mexico\, wh
 ere the Supreme Court is resisting the government’s attempts to introduc
 e unconstitutional reforms that would bolster executive power\; or Guate
 mala\, whose Constitutional Court ensured the transfer of power to the d
 uly elected candidate Bernardo Arévalo\, despite attempts to overturn th
 e electoral result.\n\nThis session will explore the intricacies of a co
 mplex vision of the rule of law in Latin American countries. On one side
 \, the pragmatic need to tackle the plagues of corruption and organised 
 crime. On the other\, the necessity to build a system of checks and bala
 nces with a specific focus on the role of judges and prosecutors.\n
LOCATION:PALACIO DE CANAL 3\, LEVEL E1
UID:91d12955-bd77-4761-9e31-0264a665a973
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