11.
On October 11, 2010 the Inter-American Commission, the
representatives 23 and the State forwarded their final written arguments, which
were conveyed to the parties so that they could present any observations deemed
pertinent regarding certain documents presented by Mexico and by the
representatives together with those briefs. In their final arguments, the parties
presented evidence related to the questions and evidence to facilitate adjudication
of the case, as requested by the Court.
III
PRELIMINARY OBJECTION TO THE “FOURTH INSTANCE RULE”
1. Arguments of the parties
12.
The State filed a preliminary objection regarding the Court’s “lack of
jurisdiction to hear the merits of this application in light of the fourth instance
principle.” The State held that “the Court cannot determine whether the national
courts applied domestic law correctly or whether the decision was wrong or unfair”
and that the Court “should determine” only whether the judicial criminal
proceedings “adhered to the principles of judicial guarantees and protection under
the American Convention or whether there is any judicial error that may be or has
been proven evidencing serious injustice.” The State argued that this could not
have occurred in this case, since Messrs. Cabrera and Montiel filed “a motion
challenging their formal imprisonment, a motion through which they obtained
partially favorable results,” and that “they also had access to other levels of
jurisdiction whereby they could appeal the conviction by the court of first instance,
and to other instances to appeal subsequent decisions, remedies from which they
also benefited,” and even evidence submitted extemporaneously was accepted.
Indeed, Mexico argued that “all the actions or omissions of the State” alleged as
“violations of the American Convention, even those of a procedural nature, have
already been assessed and considered by independent and impartial Mexican
judicial bodies through effective and efficient motions” and “with full respect for the
right to a fair trial and judicial protection.”
13.
The State noted that the Court “has been constant in declaring inadmissible
preliminary objections based on the principle of fourth instance.” However, this
case would be exceptional because in previous cases the plaintiffs had not tried to
obtain “a review of the judgments or decisions by the domestic courts,” but rather
the determination of “whether an action or omission by the State ha[d] resulted in
a violation of a right protected by the American Convention,” while in this case “the
idea would be to review the decisions already made by the domestic courts,” since
these would have “effectively [exercised] the ex officio ‘conventionality control’ that
newsletter from the General Attorney’s Office including the depositions stating that the rhodizonate test
does not work on wet hands; iv) the physical and psychological integrity of the alleged victims: k)
reasons why the alleged victims were released, and identification and specification of the corresponding
medical reports, l) did the State carry out the relevant procedures to facilitate the visit by Physicians for
Human Rights to the prison where the alleged victims were held?, m) were physicians not attached to
state institutions allowed to perform medical checkups when the alleged victims were arrested?, n)
explanation for the coincidences and/or differences in the medical reports that seem to have led to the
decision to release the alleged victims in November 2001 and the medical report by Dr. Tramsen and
Dr. Tidball-Binz from Physicians for Human Rights- Denmark on July 31, 2000. Finally, aside from the
above questions for all the parties, the Inter-American Commission was asked to clearly specify the
reason why the elements examined in the petition were not sufficient to conclude that acts of torture
were committed against the alleged victims.
23
Agustín Martin, Alejandra Nuño, Luis Carlos Buob and Viviana Krsticevic signed on behalf of
CEJIL; Luis Arriaga, Stephanie E. Brewer and Jaqueline Sáenz signed on behalf of Centro Prodh; Abel
Barrera signed for the Centro de Derechos Humanos de la Montaña “Tlachinollan.”
8