The Inter-American Court of Human Rights and an excessive compensation amount case: Former Supreme Court Justices v. Ecuador

Abstract

This article analyses the decision taken by the Inter-American Court of Human Rights in the emblematic case of the dismissal of several former judges of the Supreme Court of Justice of Ecuador. The international organization declared the Ecuadorian State to be internationally responsible for the violation of rights recognized in the American Convention on Human Rights. It established excessive compensation as a form of punishment for Ecuador, but not as a measure of compensatory reparation for the victims and their families. This is a factor that draws attention to the fact that the decision taken by the Inter-American Court of Human Rights was far removed from its own judgments.