Report No. 45 (2017) IACHR. Case No. 10.455 (Colombia)

Case Number10.455
Report Number45
Respondent StateColombia
Case TypeMerits
CourtInter-American Comission of Human Rights
Alleged VictimValentín Basto Calderón y otros
REPORT No. 45/17
CASE 10.455
REPORT ON MERITS (PUBLICATION)
VALENTIN BASTO CALDERON AND OTHERS
COLOMBIA
Approved by the Commission at its session No. 2085 held on May 25, 2017.
162 S.ial Period of Sessions.
OEA/Ser.L/V/II.162
D.. 57
25 May 2017
Original: Spanish
Cite as: IACHR, R.t No. 45/17, C. 10.455, Merits (Publication), Valentin B..C.
and others, C.a, May 25, 2017.
www.cidh.org
1
REPORT No. 45/17
MERITS (PUBLICATION)
VALENTIN BASTO CALDERON AND OTHERS
COLOMBIA
MAY 25, 2017
INDEX
I. SUMMARY ......................................................................................................................................................................................... 2
II. PROCESSING BEFORE THE COMMISSION .......................................................................................................................... 3
III. THE PARTIES’ POSITIONS ......................................................................................................................................................... 3
A. The petitioners’ position........................................................................................................................................... 3
B. The S.te’s position ..................................................................................................................................................... 6
IV. ESTABLISHED FACTS .................................................................................................................................................................. 9
A. Context .............................................................................................................................................................................. 9
B. Facts of the case .......................................................................................................................................................... 13
V. LEGAL ANALYSIS ......................................................................................................................................................................... 28
A. Preliminary matter .................................................................................................................................................... 28
B. The right to life and integrity with respect to V..B..C. and P...V......
.
C.; and the right to integrity and special protection of children with respect to the
child C..C. (A.es 4, 5, 19 and 1(1) of the American Co nvention) .................... 29
C. The rights to integrity, to honor and dignity with respect to the family members of V.ín
Basto C.; and the right to integrity with respect to the family members of P....
.
V..C. (A.es 5(1), 11, and 1(1) of the American Convention) .................................. 35
D. The right to freedom of association and political rights with respect to V..B.....
.
C. (A.es 16, 23, and 1(1) of the American Convention) ...................................................... 36
E. The rights to judicial guarantees and judicial protection (Articles 8, 25, and 1(1) of the
American Convention) ............................................................................................................................................. 39
VI. EVENTS AFTER REPORT No. 4/14 ...................................................................................................................................... 42
VII. EVENTS AFTER REPORT No. 34/17.................................................................................................................................... 43
VIII. ANALYSIS OF COMPLIANCE WITH RECOMMENDATIONS ....................................................................................... 43
IX. FINAL CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS ....................................................................................................... 44
X. PUBLICATION ................................................................................................................................................................................ 46
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REPORT No. 45/171
MERITS (PUBLICATION)
VALENTIN BASTO CALDERON AND OTHERS
COLOMBIA
MAY 25, 2017
I. SUMMARY
1. On A.st 11, 1989, the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (hereinafter “the
Commission”) received a petition presented by the Comisión C.a de J.ristas (hereinafter “the
petitioners”) that alleged the international responsibility of the Republic of C.a (hereinafter “the S.,”
“the C.S.,” or “C.a”) in the extrajudicial execution of peasant leader and human rights
defender V.B.C. by unidentified individuals, perpetrated F.ry 21, 1988, in the
municipality of Cerrito, department of Santander; the wounds followed by death to the detriment of P.
.
V.C.; the wounds suffered by his daughter, C.C. Sepúlveda who was eight years
old at the time; and the lack of any judic ial clarification of these facts.
2. The petitioners alleged that the S.te was responsible for violating the rights to life and
integrity, established in the American Convention on Human Rights (hereinafter the “Convention” or the
“American Convention”), considering the responsibility of its agents for the threats made to Val entín B.
.
C. to hush up his activity as a social leader and human rights defender in the municipality of Cerrito,
for his extrajudicial execution, and for the subsequent acts of harassment of the alleged victim’s family
members. T. also alleged that more than 25 years after the extrajudicial execution during which P....
.
V.C. and his daughter C., who were near the scene, were seriously wounded, in P.
case with a fatal outcome the judicial investigation into the facts is still in a preliminary phase, without the
victims and their family members having had an effective remedy to address the violations suffered. On J.
12, 2010, the Commission declared the c laim admissible in relation to the alleged violation of A.es 4(1), 5,
8(1) and 25, in conjunction with A.e 1(1), of the American Convention, by means of admissibility report
68/10, ushering in the merits phase.
3. During the merits phase the petitioners submitted arguments and evidence on the
responsibility of the S.te in the facts of th e case, including new arguments regarding the alleged violation of
the rights to security, honor, freedom of conscience, freedom of expression, the right to assemble, the rights of
the child, and the right to political representation. In addition, they asked the Commission to recommend to
the C.S. that it undertake a diligent i nvestigation of the alleged extrajudicial execution of V.
.
B. and P.C.; hold a ceremony acknowledging responsibility as a measure of satisfaction; adopt
measures of rehabilitation in conjunction with the victims and petitioners; pay compensation that is fair,
adequate, and proportional to the harm caused; and adopt measures to recover the historical memory of
V.B. and P.C. in conjunct ion with the victims and petitioners.
4. T.S., for its part, made arguments on the scope of the characterization of the alleged
violations of judicial guarantees and j udicial protection in R.t 68/10; the lack of state responsibility in
relation to the alleged violation of the rights to life and integrity; and the lack of state responsibility in
relation to judicial protection and judicial remedies. It also asked the Commission to declare its lack of
competence to take cognizance of the petitioners’ arguments regarding the alleged violation of the rights to
security, honor, freedom of conscience, freedom of expression, the right to assemble, the rights of the child,
and the right to political representation, a s they were not included in the admissibility report.
1 In accordance with A.e 17(2) of the Rules of Procedur e of the IACHR, C..L...V..S., a C.
national, did not participate in the discussion or decision in this case.

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