15
Indeed, as a complement of the principle of protection from ex post facto laws, the Court
has referred to the “principle of retroactivity of the most favorable criminal law” that is
oriented to the protection of the human person, and implies the application of such a
norm that establishes a minor sentence for the imputed crime. Such principle of
application of the most favorable law “is applied regarding laws that have been
sanctioned before the issuance of [a] Judgment, as well as during its execution, since
the [American] Convention does not establish a limit in that sense.” 20 In similar sense,
the European Court has established that where there is a difference between the criminal
law valid after and before the issuance of the judgment, tribunals shall apply the law
which provisions are more favorable for the accused.21
*
*
*
42.
Regarding the sentence imposed of the victim and her right to remain silent and
not to self-incriminate, the Tribunal highlights that the States shall respect the minimum
guarantees of the right to defense, among them, those contemplated in Article, 8(2) g)
“of the Convention, according to which “[d]uring the proceedings, every person is
entitled, with full equality, to the following minimum guarantees: […]the right not to be
compelled to be a witness against [her]self or to plead guilty.” In the present case, the
Tribunal observes that the Supreme Court indicated that “it [was] admissible to raise the
sanction imposed since they warned about the circumstances that accompanied the
commission of the crime and the conduct of the accused have not been properly
accounted by the [j]udging Tribunal, since “the defendants assumed an obstructionist
conduct during the judicial investigations, and there are no attenuating circumstances to
reduce the sentence – the definition of the crime establishes a sentence of no less than
20 years, since they have denied the facts imputed to them.”
43.
In this regard, the Court considers that the judgment of the Supreme Court could
not result in a negative consequence –increase of the sentence- against Mrs. De la Cruz,
using as an argument her denial of culpability. In a similar sense the European Court
has stated that there might be a violation of the right to a fair trial if the tribunal bases
its judgment or derives negative consequences for the accused, exclusively or mainly
from the refusal to declare.22
*
*
*
44.
In the other hand, regarding the definition of the crime applied to the victim, the
Tribunal highlights that the Decree Law No. 25475 was issued “[to] [e]stablish the
sanction of the crimes of terrorism and the procedures for the investigation, the
instruction and the trial [of the same]”. Thus, this decree criminalizes, among others,
the following conducts:
Article 4.- Collaboration with Terrorism
It shall be punished with sentence of imprisonment of no less than twenty years anyone who
“voluntarily obtains, collects, assembles or facilitates any type of supplies or devices, or carries
out acts of collaboration, which in any way promote the committing of the crimes included in
[the same] decree law, or the achievement of the goals of a terrorist group” commits the crime
20
Cf. Case of Ricardo Canese V. Paraguay. Merits, Reparations and Costs. Judgment of August 31, 2004.
Series C No. 111. paragraph 178 and 179; Case De la Cruz Flores V. Peru, supra note 5, par. 105, and Case
García Asto and Ramírez Rojas V. Peru. Preliminar Exception, Merits, Reparations and Costs. Judgment of
November 254, 2005. Series C No. 137, par. 191.
21
ECHR, Scoppola V. Italy (Application No. 10249/03) September 17, 2009, par 107 and 108.
22
ECHR, Barberà, Messegué and Jabardo V. Spain (Application No. 10590/83) December 6, 1988, par.
77, and ECHR, Salabiaku V. France (Application No. 10519/83) October 7, 1988, par. 28.