6
was only filed after the Report on admissibility. Consequently, the Court concludes that the
State waived tacitly the presentation of this defense at the opportune procedural moment.
17.
Nevertheless, Argentina considered that, based on two circumstances that occurred
after the Report on admissibility in this case had been issued (supra para. 1), a change in
the purpose of the proceedings underway before the Inter-American Commission had
arisen, which would allow it to invoke, for the first time, at a stage other than that of
admissibility, the failure to exhaust domestic remedies to claim compensation for damage.
The State referred to the decision adopted on June 1, 2004, by the Federal National
Criminal and Correctional Appeals Chamber, deciding that the alleged victim had been
“subjected to practices of unlawful coercion owing to which he confessed his supposed
authorship of kidnapping for ransom [and ordering] the annulment of the criminal action
against him and his immediate release”; and the decision adopted on May 30, 2006, by the
prosecutor’s office involved in the proceedings to investigate the torture alleged by Mr.
Bayarri that “declared the preliminary investigation stage closed and forwarded the case for
trial.”
18.
The Court notes that both the petition filed by the alleged victim before the InterAmerican Commission on April 5, 1994, and its admissibility on January 19, 2001, preceded
the decisions adopted in the domestic jurisdiction that, according to the State, would have
resulted in the said change in the procedural purpose (supra paras. 10 and 17). In other
words, the mechanisms of the inter-American system for the protection of human rights had
already been set in motion when the State adopted measures to repair the alleged
violations. This has occurred in other cases heard by the Court.10
19.
The Court must reiterate that the State’s international responsibility arises
immediately with the international unlawful act attributed to it, although this can only be
required before the organs that compose the inter-American system for the protection of
human rights after domestic remedies have been exhausted, under the rule established in
Article 46 of the American Convention. Based on this principle, when the hearing of the case
has already started under the American Convention11 (that is, when its admissibility has
been determined), a possible reparation made under domestic law does not prevent either
the Commission or the Court from continuing to hear the case, and does not grant the State
another procedural opportunity to question the admissibility of the petition, which has
already been established. In these circumstances, the effects of possible reparation made in
the domestic jurisdiction are a matter that is assessed in both the Inter-American
Commission’s and this Court’s analysis of the case and do not constitute a preliminary
objection. In general, a procedural action of this nature (preliminary objection) questions
the admissibility of a case or the competence ratione personae, materiae, temporis or loci of
the Court to hear a specific case or some element of it.12
Court”) v. Venezuela. Preliminary objection, merits, reparations and costs. Judgment of August 5, 2008. Series C
No. 182, para. 24.
10
Cf. “The Last Temptation of Christ” (Olmedo Bustos et al.) v. Chile. Merits, reparations and costs.
Judgment of February 5, 2001. Series C No.73, paras. 82 and 89; Gómez Paquiyauri Brothers v. Peru. Merits,
reparations and costs. Judgment of July 8, 2004. Series C No. 110, para. 75; and Heliodoro Portugal v. Panama.
Preliminary objections, merits, reparations and costs. Judgment of August 12, 2008. Series C No. 186, para. 58.
11
Cf. case of the Gómez Paquiyauri Brothers, supra note 10, para. 75; Ricardo Canese v. Paraguay. Merits,
reparations and costs. Judgment of August 31, 2004. Series C No 111, para. 71; and case of Heliodoro Portugal,
supra note 10, para. 58.
12
Cf. Gabriela Perozo et al. v. Venezuela. Order of the President of the Inter-American Court of March 18,
2008, considering paragraph 7.