ESCRITO DE AMICUS CURIAE

This amicus curiae brief, submitted by the Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL) to the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR), supports petitioners Miguel Ignacio Fredes González and Andrea Tuczek Fries in their claim against Chile. The document argues that the Chilean government violated the right to access information by providing incomplete data regarding the location and nature of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) released into the environment. CIEL provides technical details on the scientific uncertainty and risks associated with GMOs and analyzes international legal frameworks—including the Cartagena Protocol and the Aarhus Convention—to assert that transparency and public participation are essential for managing biosafety risks.

• The Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL) argues that the Chilean government, specifically the Servicio de Agricultura y Ganadería (SAG), provided incomplete and ambiguous responses to requests for information on transgenic crops. While the petitioners requested specific data on the surface area planted, genetic modifications, the names of those who introduced the species, and exact planting locations, the SAG only provided the species, region, and national totals.
• There is significant scientific uncertainty regarding the long-term effects of GMOs on human health and the environment. CIEL notes that biological systems are complex and linear models often fail to predict outcomes, citing evidence that unintended DNA insertions can occur, as seen in Monsanto soybean varieties.
• Potential risks to human health from GMOs include the inadvertent introduction of allergens or toxins, the creation of new allergens in pollen, and the transfer of antibiotic resistance to pathogenic microorganisms through the use of antibiotic markers.
• Environmental risks associated with GMOs include the unintended release of transgenic material via seed dispersal, horizontal gene transfer, and pollen dispersal. This can lead to the creation of 'super weeds' through hybridization with wild relatives or the extinction of endemic species, as evidenced by transgenic maize genes found in endemic maize in Oaxaca, Mexico.
• GMOs can negatively impact 'non-target' organisms, including beneficial species and those under conservation. For example, Bt toxin has been linked to increased mortality in lacewing larvae and has shown effects on the growth of the Papilio polyxenes butterfly.
• The Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety establishes mandatory international standards for the safe transfer and handling of GMOs. It relies on the 'advance informed agreement' (acuerdo fundamentado previo) and the Biosafety Clearing-House (CII) to ensure that importing countries have the necessary information to make informed decisions based on the precautionary approach.
• International jurisprudence, including rulings from the Inter-American Court of Human Rights (Case of Claude Reyes v. Chile) and the European Court of Human Rights, establishes that the right to access information is a fundamental component of freedom of expression and is essential for a democratic society.
• The European Court of Justice (CEJ) ruled in the Sausheim v. Azelvandre case that the right to public access to information overrides state interests in confidentiality or public order when it concerns the specific locations where GMOs are released into the environment.
• The Aarhus Convention and its 2005 amendments specifically require parties to provide public access to information and ensure public participation before decisions are made to release GMOs into the environment, including summaries of notifications and impact reports.
• CIEL concludes that Chile's internal regulations are insufficient to guarantee public access to detailed information about the destination of GMOs. The brief requests that the IACHR declare Chile responsible for violating the right to access information and the right to judicial protection under the American Convention on Human Rights.

APA

Orellana, M. A., Figueroa, D., Hasan-Granier, T., Oliva, M. J., Parente, A. P., & Rojas, C. (n.d.). ESCRITO DE AMICUS CURIAE. Center for International Environmental Law. https://www.ciel.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/Fredes_Tuczek_Amicus_Feb10.pdf

Chicago

Orellana, Marcos A., Dante Figueroa, Tazeen Hasan-Granier, María Julia Oliva, Ana Paula Parente, and Cecilia Rojas. ESCRITO DE AMICUS CURIAE. Center for International Environmental Law, n.d. https://www.ciel.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/Fredes_Tuczek_Amicus_Feb10.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Orellana |first1=Marcos A. |last2=Figueroa |first2=Dante |last3=Hasan-Granier |first3=Tazeen |last4=Oliva |first4=María Julia |last5=Parente |first5=Ana Paula |last6=Rojas |first6=Cecilia |title=ESCRITO DE AMICUS CURIAE |publisher=Center for International Environmental Law |url=https://www.ciel.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/Fredes_Tuczek_Amicus_Feb10.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{orellanandescrito, author = {Orellana, Marcos A. and Figueroa, Dante and Hasan-Granier, Tazeen and Oliva, María Julia and Parente, Ana Paula and Rojas, Cecilia}, title = {{ESCRITO DE AMICUS CURIAE}}, institution = {Center for International Environmental Law}, url = {https://www.ciel.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/Fredes_Tuczek_Amicus_Feb10.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }