Reaching Beyond the State: Judicial Independence, the Inter-American Court of Human Rights, and Accountability in Guatemala

In this paper, we examine the role of the Inter-American Court of Human Rights in its efforts to impose accountability for human rights violations in Latin America. We suggest that, because domestic enforcement mechanisms are irreconcilably deficient in this task, accountability must emanate from beyond the state. We test this contention by examining one of the most challenging nations in the region—Guatemala.