The seventeenth session of the Permanent Peoples’ Tribunal, which took place in 1992 to mark the 500th anniversary of the so-called ‘discovery’ of the Americas, was devoted to the theme ‘The Conquest of America and International Law’. The Tribunal offered a critical re-examination of the conquest from the perspective of those who suffered its consequences.
Unlike the other sessions, this one was not conceived as proceedings aimed at establishing specific liabilities or ruling on individual human rights violations. Rather, it took the form of historical and legal reflections on the origins of modern international law, and the role law played in legitimising the conquest and colonial expansion.
The aim was to analyse the forms of domination ushered in by the conquest of the American continent, tracing their evolution over time and highlighting the continuities linking the colonial experience to contemporary dynamics. The session therefore provides a platform for discussion between legal experts, academics, and indigenous peoples’ representatives, with the objective of reinterpreting the history of the conquest as an ongoing process whose consequences are reflected in ongoing inequalities, violations of collective rights, and the denial of peoples’ right to self-determination.
Documentation:
Download the Judgment in English