Reparation in the case law of the Inter-American Court of Human Rights

The international reparation of damages suffered by individuals is a relatively new subject that hasn't received the amount of attention it deserves from international law. The international responsibility of the State towards individuals is indeed a topic missing from the Draft articles on responsibility of States for internationally wrongful acts adopted in 2001 by the United Nations International Law Commission, which was mainly featured to discipline the responsibility of a State towards another State. The jurisprudence of the Inter - American Court of Human Rights might considerably contribute to filling this important gap in the law of international responsibility. Taking advantage of its large competence to order reparation measures according to article 63§1 of the American Convention of Human Rights, the Inter-American Court has developed a substantial and original jurisprudence leading to the establishment of a legal regime on the reparation of individual damages on the basis of the international responsibility of the State. From the study of the inter -american regime on reparations, it can be inferred that its specificities - deriving from the particular character of the State responsibility towards the individual and from the seriousness of the human rights violations brought to the Court - do not lead to a diversion from the general rules on State responsibility, but rather to their completion: the legal regime of reparation that comes out from the jurisprudence of the Inter-American Court definitely contributes in filling the lacunas of international law with regards to the discipline of the international reparation of damages caused to private persons.