requirements for
applicable when:
exhaustion
of domestic remedies
shall
not
be
a.
the domestic legislation of the state concerned
does not afford due process of law for the protection of
the right or rights that have allegedly been violated;
b.
the party alleging violation of his rights has
been denied access to the remedies under domestic
law or has been prevented from exhausting them; or
c.
there has been unwarranted delay in rendering
a final judgment under the aforementioned remedies.
31.
The Brazilian State considers that the requirement for prior
exhaustion of domestic remedies has not been satisfied, and that the
exception claimed by the petitioners concerning unwarranted delay in
the decision on the remedies is inapplicable. According to the State, the
administrative demarcation proceeding begun in 1989 has moved
forward satisfactorily and within a reasonable time. In conclusion, it
maintains that the demarcation process is moving ahead without delay,
although it recognizes that the process has not yet been completed
because of difficulties encountered with regard to removal of nonindigenous occupants from the identified territory.
32.
In the first place, the Inter-American Commission notes that in
accordance with the principles of international law and the precedents
established by the IACHR and the Inter-American Court, the State that
argues non-exhaustion must identify which domestic remedies are to be
used and provide evidence of their efficacy.8
33.
In this regard, the IACHR considers it pertinent to reiterate that
the subject of this petition is the Xucuru indigenous people’s right to the
property of its ancestral lands. The parties agree that the right to
property (or to “possession” as it is termed in Brazilian legislation) of
the indigenous peoples in Brazil must be guaranteed through an
administrative demarcation process at the initiative of FUNAI and the
Ministry of Justice. It is also agreed in this case that the administrative
demarcation process of the Xucuru indigenous land began in 1989, 20
years ago, without having been completed via administrative action.
8 IACHR. Report N° 32/05, Admissibility, P 642/03, Luis Rolando Cuscul Pivaral et al.
affected by HIV/AIDS, Guatemala, March 7, 2005, paras. 33-35; IA-Court. Case of the
Mayagna (Sumo) Awas Tingni Community v. Nicaragua. Preliminary Objections.
Judgment of February 1, 2000. Series C No. 66, para. 53; and Case of Nogueira de
Carvalho et al v. Brazil. Preliminary Objections and Merits. Judgment of November 28,
2006. Series C No. 161, para. 51.
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