On 4 August 1939, in Montevideo, the American states sign the Treaty on Political Asylum and Refuge — the inter-American instrument regulating diplomatic asylum and protection of political refugees in the Western Hemisphere.

The treaty complements earlier asylum conventions (Havana, Montevideo) and clarifies when a state may grant asylum on its territory or in diplomatic missions.

Adopted amid 1930s Latin American political crises, it belongs to the regional asylum law distinct from the 1951 UN refugee regime.

It remains a pillar of the Latin American tradition of political asylum.

For inter-American law, 4 August 1939 marks the signing of the treaty on political asylum and refuge.

The official text is on the OAS site / treaty collections.

The Treaty of 4 August 1939 remains the OAS reference on political asylum and refuge.

Image: Montevideo / OAS; Wikimedia Commons. Cropped to 16:9.

Source consulted: Treaty on Political Asylum and Refuge. Treaty text: Treaty on Political Asylum and Refuge (OAS).