Dec 6, 2023 | News
Peru violated its obligations under international law by releasing former President, Alberto Fujimori, in blatant defiance of orders issued by the Inter-American Court on Human Rights (IACtHR) said the International Commission of Jurists (ICJ) today.
The ICJ has called for Peru to abide by its legal obligations and for effective measures by the bodies of the OAS to ensure such compliance.
The early release of Fujimori on purported humanitarian grounds, despite his failure to acknowledge any responsibility or contrition for the atrocities for which he was convicted, is an affront to the many victims and families who suffered severe abuse under his Presidential rule.
Even though the action does not formally amount to a reversal of finding of culpability or a forgiveness of crimes, Peru failed to follow procedures which would take into account the concerns of victims or to substantiate the humanitarian necessity of his release.
In 2009, Fujimori was sentenced to 25 years in prison for his role in the commission of extrajudicial executions, enforced disappearances and other acts, which cumulatively amounted crimes against humanity. On 6 December 2023, he was released by order of the Peruvian Constitutional Tribunal following an executive humanitarian pardon on 24 December 2017 issue by then-president Pedro Pablo Kuczynski Godard.
The Tribunal and President failed to take into account the victims’ rights to truth, justice, and reparations”, said Carolina Villadiego, ICJ Latin America Team Leader.
The Constitutional Tribunal’s flagrant disregard for the Inter-American Court’s explicit requirement to make this assessment is an affront to the victims of Fujimori’s crimes”, added Villadiego.
Although the human rights of convicted persons require judicial authorities to consider the impact of detention on their health, any imperative health considerations must be substantiated, and the victims must be heard, and their rights taken into account when determining whether humanitarian release should be granted.
Following issuance of the executive pardon in 2017, on 30 May 2018, the IACtHR adopted a resolution requesting the Peruvian authorities to evaluate the possibility of a judicial review of the humanitarian pardon. According to the IACtHR, that assessment should have into account, among other considerations, the right of Fujimori’s victims to have access to justice; the proportionality of the sentence imposed and its execution; the rights of Fujimori, in particular his right to life, personal integrity, and health.
The Inter-American Court already identified inconsistencies in Fujimori’s health assessment, which should have prompted domestic courts to fully inquire into the circumstances leading to the pardon and ensure the rights of all parties involved were considered”, affirmed Villadiego. The rights of victims seem to have been sidelined by both President Kuczynski and the Constitutional Tribunal, unravelling years of progress towards combating impunity in the country”, added Villadiego
The IACtHR exercises a supervisory duty over decisions related to Fujimori’s case, Barrios Altos and La Cantuta cases, in which it found Peru had violated is obligations under the American Convention on Human Rights (ACHR) by failing to hold perpetrators of gross human rights violations committed in Peru to account. Peruvian authorities are obligated to comply with the IACtHR’s decisions in this case, consistent with fundamental rule of law principles.
The ICJ underscores unequivocally that the Peruvian authorities must comply with the orders of the IACtHR. The Peruvian Constitutional Tribunal does not have the authority to disregard the IACtHR’s power to issue orders as part of its judicial function of supervising the execution of its decisions and to override those orders.
The ICJ calls on the Peruvian authorities to comply with the orders of the IACtHR and to review Fujimori’s executive humanitarian pardon. This requires an updated, thorough and impartial assessment of Fujimori’s health and consideration of the rights of Fujimori’s victims.
The ICJ also calls upon the international community, in particular members of the Organization of American States, to demand that Peru comply with the orders of the IACtHR and fulfil its international human rights obligations towards victims of serious human rights violations and crimes under international law.
Background
In 2009, the Peruvian Supreme Court convicted Alberto Fujimori for the murder of 25 people, the serious injury of four people and the kidnapping of two people, which it held amounted to crimes against humanity. As a general principle, international law and standards prohibits the issuance of amnesties and pardons for those convicted of gross human rights violations amounting to crimes under international law. International law also requires protection of the right to health of all persons, including prisoners, which in some instances could preclude institutional incarceration.
Peruvian Constitutional Tribunal’s rulings
On 4 December 2023, the Peruvian Constitutional Tribunal handed down a ruling ordering the National Penitentiary Institute to immediately release former President Fujimori, who is serving a 25-year prison sentence that is due to be completed in February 2032. The ruling was the last judicial decision triggered by a humanitarian pardon for health issues granted to Fujimori on 24 December 2017 by then-president Pedro Pablo Kuczynski Godard. Previously, on 17 March 2022, the Constitutional Tribunal had ruled that Fujimori’s humanitarian pardon should be implemented.
In the 2023 ruling, the Tribunal also stated that the IACtHR did not have the competency to rule on the non-enforcement of a national ruling as part of the IACtHR’s judicial function of supervising the execution of its decisions. This pronouncement was in reaction to the action taken on 7 April 2022, in which the IACtHR had ordered the Peruvian State not to implement the 2022 Constitutional Tribunal’s ruling.
The Tribunal’s position is contrary to the IACtHR’s faculties established in Articles 33, 62.1, 62.3 and 65 of the ACHR and Article 69 of the Rules of Procedure of the IACtHR’s. Moreover, the Tribunal’s position might imply that some actions of judicial authorities may be outside the scope of the control of conventionality, and therefore, outside the obligation established under the ACHR.
Inter-American Court of Human rights’ decisions
Before the 2009 conviction sentence against Fujimori, for the same facts, in 2001 and 2006, in the cases of Barrios Altos and La Cantuta, the IACtHR’s had found that the Peruvian state had breached its obligations under the ACHR. The IACtHR determined that Peru had violated the right to juridical personality (Article 3), the right to life (Article 4), the right the right to humane treatment (Article 5), the right to personal liberty (Article 7), and the right to a fair trial and judicial protection (Articles 8 and 25). In both cases, among other reparation measures, the IACtHR ordered Peru to identify, investigate, prosecute, and punish those responsible for human rights violations.
As part of the judicial function of supervising the implementation of its decisions, the IACtHR’s has issued several resolutions ordering measures for the full implementation of the orders in the cases of Barrios Altos and La Cantuta. Following the issuance of the humanitarian pardon in December 2017, the IACtHR’s issued a resolution on 30 May 2018 requesting the Peruvian authorities to evaluate the possibility of a judicial review of the humanitarian pardon.
For the IACtHR, this judicial review would consider: (i) the right of Fujimori’s victims to have access to justice; (ii) the proportionality of the sentence imposed and its execution; (iii) the rights of Fujimori, in particular his right to life, personal integrity and health; and (iv) the fact that prison sentences cannot be converted into death sentences. In addition, the IACtHR considered that there were serious doubts as to whether the legal requirements laid down in Peruvian law for the granting of the humanitarian pardon had been met. The IACtHR highlighted inconsistencies in Fujimori’s health assessment and allegations that the pardon was granted to give then-President Kuczynski the votes in Congress to avoid impeachment.
In addition, the IACtHR also mentioned that in cases of serious human rights violations and crimes under international law, pardons for health reasons, such as in the Fujimori case, it is necessary to take into account the health of the convicted person, but it should also be considered:
(…) [whether] a substantial part of the sentence has been served and the civil compensation imposed in the sentence has been paid; the behaviour of the convicted person with regard to the clarification of the truth; the recognition of the seriousness of the crimes committed and their rehabilitation; and the effects that early release would have on society and on the victims and their families.”
The judicial review carried out by the Peruvian Constitutional Tribunal failed to take into account any of the requirements established by the IACtHR in its resolution of 30 May 2018. As a result, on 7 April 2022 and on 5 December 2023, the IACtHR ordered the Peruvian State not to implement the decision of the Constitutional Tribunal in relation to Fujimori’s humanitarian pardon. This was done in order to guarantee the right to access to justice of the victims of the cases of Barrios Altos and La Cantuta.
Contact:
Carolina Villadiego Burbano, ICJ Latin America Team Leader, email: carolina.villadiego@icj.org
Rocío Quintero Martínez, ICJ Legal Adviser for the Latin America Programme, email: rocio.quintero@icj.org
Sep 21, 2023 | Incidencia, Noticias
Entre el 18 y el 20 de septiembre de 2023, la Comisión Internacional de Juristas (CIJ), la Red de Aprendizaje sobre Acceso a la Justicia (Access to Justice Knowledge Hub) y el Programa de Acción por la Igualdad y la Inclusión Social (PAIIS) de la Universidad de los Andes celebraron conjuntamente un taller regional en Bogotá, Colombia, sobre el uso discriminatorio, desproporcionado y a menudo arbitrario de los sistemas de justicia penal contra personas y grupos marginados en América Latina. El evento reunió a unas 30 personas de organizaciones de la sociedad civil, actores judiciales, juezas, jueces y representantes de instituciones gubernamentales. Las y los participantes procedían de diversos países latinoamericanos, como Argentina, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, México, Paraguay y Perú.
El evento giró en torno a “Los Principios del 8 de marzo para un Enfoque de Derechos Humanos en el Derecho Penal que Proscribe Conductas Asociadas con la Vida Sexual, la Reproducción, el Consumo de Drogas, la Falta de Hogar y la Pobreza” (Principios del 8 de marzo) de la CIJ y los “Principios y Directrices Internacionales sobre el Acceso a la Justicia para las Personas con Discapacidad”” del Relator Especial de la ONU sobre los Derechos de las Personas con Discapacidad. Las y los participantes coincidieron en que la alarmante tendencia mundial a la sobrecriminalización es también evidente en América Latina. Esta tendencia obstaculiza el avance de los derechos humanos, especialmente los derechos de las personas y grupos marginados, como las personas LGBTI+, las personas que viven con el VIH, las mujeres con discapacidad y las mujeres que viven en la pobreza.
En su presentación, el Comisionado de la CIJ Rodrigo Uprimny habló de “la inevitabilidad del derecho penal”, describiéndolo como “una amarga necesidad de la convivencia social”. Ciertas conductas, argumentó, como los actos que constituyen violaciones de los derechos humanos, deben ser inevitablemente criminalizadas por los Estados. En este contexto, Uprimny también señaló que en América Latina existe una tendencia al “populismo punitivo”, que a menudo se traduce en un uso desproporcionado y discriminatorio del derecho penal en diversos contextos, como la protesta social, el consumo de drogas y el aborto. En ese sentido, comentó la importancia de los Principios del 8 de marzo en América Latina:
“La realidad demuestra que en comportamientos que [los] Principios desarrollan son precisamente los comportamientos en donde usualmente es muy fuerte el impacto discriminatorio del derecho penal. (…) Con todos los criterios de discriminación, género, raza, discapacidad, pobreza, etc. (…) Los Principios lo llaman a uno a la cautela de la tendencia a la sobrecriminalización (…) El tema de la sobrecriminalización no es solo hoy un asunto de las derechas más autoritarias de América Latina. Hay también en el mundo de los derechos humanos una fuga hacia el punitivismo. (…) [El uso del derecho penal puede estar] justificado, pero a veces puede tener efectos perversos”.
Las y los participantes reflexionaron sobre los problemas comunes y las barreras que los sistemas de justicia penal imponen a los grupos e individuos marginados en América Latina, incluyendo el impacto desproporcionado del derecho penal sobre las mujeres, las personas sin hogar, las personas que viven con el VIH, las personas que consumen drogas y las personas con discapacidad.
Un elemento central del debate fue que las violaciones de derechos humanos, como resultado de procesos penales, implican el fracaso de una serie de actores –incluidos juezas y jueces, fiscales, agentes de policía y otros actores de la justicia, así como psiquiatras y servicios sociales– a la hora de comprender y aplicar las normas internacionales de derechos humanos. En este sentido, las y los participantes destacaron, entre otras cosas, la falta de conocimiento y aplicación de la Convención sobre los Derechos de las Personas con Discapacidad y de la jurisprudencia del Comité de la ONU sobre los Derechos de las Personas con Discapacidad, en relación con el acceso a la justicia de las personas con discapacidad. Como resultado, las personas con discapacidad en América Latina, y en particular aquellas con discapacidad psicosocial, se enfrentan a serios obstáculos para ejercer su derecho a la capacidad jurídica en procesos penales.
Las y los participantes se comprometieron a establecer una agenda común para la incidencia conjunta, incluyendo mediante la organización de talleres dirigidos a los actores de la justicia, como juezas y jueces, en América Latina. En particular, se necesita un conocimiento más profundo de la normas y estándares internacionales de derechos humanos en el contexto de la justicia penal, así como de los derechos de las personas con discapacidad.
Contactos
Rocío Quintero Martínez, Asesora Legal de la CIJ para el Programa de América Latina, e: rocio.quintero@icj.org
Timothy Fish Hodgson, Asesor Sénior de la CIJ en Derechos Económicos, Sociales y Culturales, e: timothy.hodgson@icj.org
Sep 21, 2023 | Advocacy, News
Between 18 and 20 September 2023, the International Commission of Jurists (ICJ), the Access to Justice Knowledge Hub and the Andes University’s Programme of Action for Equality and Social Inclusion (Programa de Acción por la Igualdad y la Inclusión Social -PAIIS) jointly held a regional workshop in Bogotá, Colombia, on the discriminatory, disproportionate and often arbitrary use of criminal justice systems against marginalized individuals and groups in Latin America. The event brought together approximately 30 members of civil society organizations, justice actors, judges and representatives of government institutions. Participants came from a range of Latin American countries, including Argentina, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Mexico, Paraguay, and Peru.
The workshop centred around the ICJ’s “8 March Principles for a Human Rights-Based Approach to Criminal Law Proscribing Conduct Associated with Sex, Reproduction, Drug Use, HIV, Homelessness and Poverty” (8 March Principles) as well as the UN Special Rapporteur on the rights of persons with disabilities’ “International Principles and Guidelines on Access to Justice for Persons with Disabilities”. Participants agreed that the alarming worldwide trend of over-criminalization was evident in Latin America too. This trend hinders the advancement of human rights, especially the rights of marginalized individuals and groups, such as LGBTI+ persons, people living with HIV, women with disabilities and women living in poverty.
In his keynote presentation, ICJ Commissioner Rodrigo Uprimny discussed “the inevitability of criminal law”, describing it as “a bitter necessity for social coexistence”. Certain conduct, he argued, such as acts constituting human rights abuses, must inevitably be criminalized by States. Against this background, Uprimny also noted that there is tendency towards “penal populism” in Latin America, often resulting in the disproportionate and discriminatory use of criminal law in various contexts, such as social protest, drug use and abortion. Commenting on the importance of the 8 March Principles in Latin America, he therefore said:
“Reality shows that the conduct addressed by the Principles is precisely the conduct where the discriminatory impact of criminal law tends to be very strong (…) on all grounds of discrimination: gender, race, disability, poverty, etc. (…). The Principles call for caution against the tendency toward over-criminalization. (…). overcriminalization is not only a matter of authoritarian right-wing governments in Latin America. In the human rights world, there is a movement towards retributivism. (…) [The use of criminal law] may sometimes be justified, but sometimes it can have perverse effects.”
The participants reflected on common predicaments and barriers that criminal justice systems impose against marginalized groups and individuals in Latin America, including in relation to the disproportionate impact of criminal law on women, homeless persons, persons living with HIV, people who use drugs and persons with disabilities.
A central element of the discussion was that human rights violations as a result of criminal proceedings involve the failure of a range of actors — including judges, prosecutors, police officers and other justice actors, but also of psychiatrists and social services — to understand and apply international human rights standards. In this regard, participants highlighted, inter alia, the lack of knowledge and application of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and of the jurisprudence of the UN Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities in relation to access to justice for persons with disabilities. As a result, persons with disabilities in Latin America, and particularly those with psychosocial disabilities, face serious obstacles in exercising their right to legal capacity in the context of criminal proceedings.
Participants committed to a common agenda for joint advocacy, including through the provision of workshops to justice actors, such as judges, in Latin America. In particular, more in-depth knowledge of international human rights law and standards in the criminal justice context, as well as disability rights, is needed.
Contacts:
Rocío Quintero M, ICJ Legal Adviser for the Latin America Programme, e: rocio.quintero@icj.org
Timothy Fish Hodgson, ICJ Senior Legal Adviser, Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, e: timothy.hodgson@icj.org
Sep 18, 2023
Del 11 al 15 de septiembre de 2023, la Comisión Internacional de Juristas (CIJ) celebró tres seminarios sobre la rendición de cuentas por muertes ilegítimas y torturas. El primero fue realizado para víctimas y representantes de las víctimas (11 de septiembre), el segundo para jueces (12 y 13 de septiembre) y el último fue para fiscales e investigadores (14 y 15 de septiembre). Los seminarios tuvieron lugar en Bogotá, Colombia y resaltaron la importancia de garantizar el cumplimiento de las normas internacionales para abordar la impunidad.
Los talleres fueron inaugurados por el secretario general de la CIJ, Santiago Cantón, quien destacó la importancia de la independencia judicial para mantener la democracia que hoy existe y la que se está perdiendo, especialmente en algunos países latinoamericanos.
Los seminarios tenían como objetivo capacitar a las y los participantes sobre las normas internacionales de derechos humanos que se aplican a las investigaciones penales en casos de muertes ilegítimas y tortura, con miras a garantizar que se respeten los derechos de las víctimas y otros participantes en los procesos penales.
Los seminarios abordaron estándares de derechos humanos a nivel internacional e interamericano. María Clara Galvis, profesora de la Facultad de Derecho de la Universidad Externado, destacó la jurisprudencia de la Corte Interamericana de Derechos Humanos en materia de investigaciones penales. Además, mencionó que la Corte Interamericana ha desarrollado estándares para las investigaciones y juicios penales a partir de las violaciones de derechos humanos encontradas en los casos que la Corte ha decidido.
Los casos que han llegado a la Corte [Interamericana de Derecho Humanos] de Colombia o México sobre falta de investigación con perspectiva de género, le han permitido a la Corte desarrollar estándares y decirles a las autoridades investigativas del continente cuáles son los pasos que deben seguir, como, por ejemplo, no tomar los testimonios de las víctimas (de tortura) más de una vez”, explicó Galvis.
Los seminarios también abordaron la importancia del aspecto forense en las investigaciones y de garantizar que los familiares de las víctimas de muertes ilícitas y torturas participen en las pruebas forenses que se realicen. Pablo Gallo, asesor del Equipo Argentino de Antropología Forense, destacó la importancia de la participación de la sociedad civil, familiares y víctimas en los procesos judiciales y de investigación:
La sociedad civil y los familiares [de las víctimas] han pasado por distintas etapas, por distintos tipos de violaciones en sus derechos y tienen la experiencia para poder monitorear, controlar y ser, de alguna manera, agentes del control de calidad de las investigaciones que se hacen”, señaló el asesor argentino de la EAAAF.
Las sesiones sobre el Protocolo de Minnesota y el Protocolo de Estambul (protocolos que brindan orientación práctica sobre la realización de investigaciones sobre muertes ilegítimas y torturas y que son fundamentales en la lucha contra la impunidad) fueron centrales en los seminarios. Luciano Hazán, coordinador del Programa contra la Violencia Institucional de la Defensoría General de la República Argentina, afirmó:
Estas herramientas son muy fuertes, porque de alguna forma le dan un espacio que hasta hace unos años no tenían los investigadores forenses. Si se hace un trabajo forense serio, se pueden romper las barreras de impunidad. Una autopsia hecha oportunamente y de manera transparente puede traer información muy valiosa en términos de la responsabilidad o de lo que ocurrió (…) Tenemos estos manuales que recomiendan iniciar las investigaciones tempranamente, documentar los hechos tempranamente para conocer a los posibles responsables y darle información a los familiares de las víctimas sobre lo que ocurrió”.
Morris Tidball-Binz, Relator Especial de la ONU sobre ejecuciones extrajudiciales, sumarias o arbitrarias, habló sobre la importancia del Protocolo de Minnesota en la investigación de muertes potencialmente ilícitas para tener resultados confiables en las investigaciones y asegurar verdad, justicia y reparación a las víctimas. El Relator de la ONU también instó a los Estados a comprometerse a cumplir con sus obligaciones internacionales bajo el derecho internacional de los derechos humanos, el derecho internacional humanitario y el derecho penal internacional.
Para hacer efectiva la prohibición absoluta y universal de toda muerte arbitraria se debe asegurar, en todo caso, que cuando sucede una de estas muertes sea investigada fehacientemente y de manera confiable, pronta, expeditiva, con debida diligencia y con la trasparencia que exige el Protocolo. Que los Estados cumplan con ello es fundamental”, concluyó Tidball-Binz.
Finalmente, los seminarios también resaltaron las barreras de acceso a la justicia para personas pertenecientes a grupos históricamente discriminados, como las personas con discapacidad. Al respecto, Diana Sheinbaum Lerner, socia fundadora y Coordinadora del Programa de Discapacidad y Justicia de Documenta, explicó que las principales barreras que enfrentan las personas con discapacidad están relacionadas con los estereotipos de discapacidad, que asumen que las personas con discapacidad carecen de la capacidad de testificar y plenamente participar en procesos penales.
Los seminarios se realizaron con el apoyo de la Facultad de Derecho de la Universidad del Rosario y el Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores de Finlandia.
- Obstáculos que enfrentan las víctimas de violaciones de derechos humanos cuando buscan justicia. Disponible aquí.
- Falta de voluntad investigativa, dilaciones y corrupción como obstáculos en el acceso a la justicia. Disponible aquí.
- Herramientas necesarias para llevar a cabo investigaciones y enjuiciamientos rápidos y eficaces. Disponible aquí.
- Medidas para proteger a las víctimas de violaciones a los derechos humano. Disponible aquí.
- Rendición de cuentas a nivel internacional en casos de violaciones a los derechos humanos. Disponible aquí.
- Rol de la comunidad jurídica y organizaciones civiles en casos de violaciones a los DDHH. Disponible aquí.
- Entrevista al Relator Especial sobre las ejecuciones extrajudiciales, sumarias o arbitrarias. Disponible aquí.
Sep 18, 2023
From 11 to 15 September 2023, the International Commission of Jurists (ICJ) held three seminars on accountability for unlawful deaths and torture for victims and victim representatives (September 11), judges (September 12 and 13), and prosecutors and investigators (September 14 and 15) in Bogotá, Colombia. The seminars highlighted the importance of ensuring compliance with international standards in addressing impunity.
The workshops were inaugurated by the Secretary General of the ICJ, Santiago Canton, who highlighted the importance of judicial independence in maintaining the democracy that exists today and the democracy that is being lost, especially in some Latin American countries.
The seminars aimed to train participants on international human rights standards that apply to criminal investigations in cases involving unlawful deaths and torture, with a view to ensuring that the rights of victims and other participants in criminal proceedings are respected.
The seminars addressed human rights standards at the international and inter-American levels. María Clara Galvis, Professor in the Faculty of Law at Externado University, highlighted the Inter-American Court of Human Rights’ jurisprudence on criminal investigations. Professor Galvis mentioned that the Inter-American Court has developed standards for criminal investigations and trials based on the human rights violations found in the cases that the Court has decided.
The cases that have reached the [Inter-American Court of Human Rights] (…) regarding the lack of investigation with a gender perspective have allowed the Court to develop standards and tell the investigative authorities of the continent what steps they should take, such as, for example, not taking the testimonies of the victims [of torture] more than once,” Galvis explained.
The seminars also addressed the importance of forensic investigations and ensuring that the relatives and victims of unlawful deaths and torture participate in forensic examinations. Pablo Gallo, advisor to the Argentine Forensic Anthropology Team, highlighted the importance of the participation of civil society, relatives, and victims in judicial and investigation processes:
Civil society and the relatives [of the victims] have gone through different stages, different types of violations of their rights and have the experience to be able to monitor, control and be, in some way, agents of quality control of the investigations,” said the Argentine advisor to the EAAAF.
Sessions on the Minnesota Protocol and the Istanbul Protocol – protocols providing practical guidance on the conduct of investigations into unlawful deaths and torture and that are fundamental in the fight against impunity – were central to the seminars. Luciano Hazan, coordinator of the Program against Institutional Violence of the General Defender’s Office of Argentina, stated:
These tools are very strong because (…) if serious forensic work is done, the barriers to impunity can be broken. An autopsy done in a timely and transparent manner can provide very valuable information in terms of responsibility or what happened (…) We have these manuals that recommend starting investigations early, documenting the facts early to know the possible responsible parties, and giving information to the families of the victims about what happened.”
Morris Tidball-Binz, UN Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary, or arbitrary executions, spoke about the importance of the Minnesota Protocol in the investigation of potentially unlawful deaths to have reliable results in investigations and ensure truth, justice, and reparation for victims. The UN Rapporteur also urged States to commit to comply with their international obligations under international human rights law, international humanitarian law, and international criminal law.
To make effective the absolute and universal prohibition of all arbitrary deaths, it must be ensured, in all cases, that when one of these deaths occurs, it is investigated reliably, promptly, expeditiously, with due diligence and with the transparency required by law. That States comply with this is essential,” concluded Tidball-Binz.
Finally, the seminars also highlighted the barriers to access to justice for people belonging to historically discriminated groups, such as people with disabilities. In this regard, Diana Sheinbaum Lerner, founding partner and Coordinator of the Disability and Justice Program at Documenta, explained that the main barriers faced by people with disabilities are related to disability stereotypes, which assume that people with disabilities lack the capacity to testify and fully participate in criminal proceedings.
The seminars were carried out with the support of the Faculty of Law of the Universidad del Rosario and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Finland.
