into alleged actions that may have violated human rights, “the venue in which any
relevant evidence should have been presented in a timely manner.”
39.
The State deemed it relevant to recount its international obligations
in terms of the fight against organized crime, emphasizing that “the criminal gang
led by Blas Valencia and others” is an organized crime group. In the words of the
State, “the criminal organization led by former police Colonel Blas Valencia can be
considered a structured group that has been formed on a premeditated basis for the
immediate commission of planned crimes. Added to this situation is the participation
of Peruvian citizens who make up the aforementioned organized group, an aspect
which, given the seriousness of the participation in and planning of the crimes, gives
them the added connotation of a transnational criminal organization.”
40.
The Bolivian State informed the Commission about a report by the
National Police of Peru, dated January 3, 2002, in which reference is made to the
participation of Peruvian citizens in the perpetration of crimes against financial
entities in Bolivia. According to the State, it can be inferred from this report that
several of the people mentioned in it were the ones who participated in the holdup
of PROSEGUR. The State underscored that their actions followed a clearly articulated
modus operandi consistent with their entry into the country as tourists and their
subsequent immediate departures from Bolivia.
41.
As to the alleged theft of jewelry, the State indicated that these are
currently being held by the judicial authority so they can be used to indemnify and
repair the widows of the deceased. It emphasized that the criminal complaint filed by
some of the alleged victims regarding this aspect was rejected by the Second Criminal
Trial Judge, a rejection subsequently upheld by the Second Sentencing Court of the
city of El Alto, on the grounds that ownership rights had not been established.
42.
In terms of admissibility requirements, the State indicated that the
petition does not meet the requirements established in Article 46.1 a) and that it
cannot be deduced from the petitioner’s account that there were events characterized
by any violation of the rights protected in the American Convention. In the words of
the State, Bolivia “has made use of its domestic legislation in the framework of
respect for all guarantees of the alleged victims’ human rights, there now being a
final judgment whose review or annulment does not fall to the IACHR; otherwise this
would fall under the fourth-instance doctrine.” In conclusion, the State asked the
Commission to declare the petition inadmissible.
43.
The State argued that the alleged victims did not comply with the
requirement to exhaust all domestic remedies, since at the time the petition was
presented to the Commission the judicial authority had yet to issue a decision on the
domestic proceedings or on the alleged tortures. In this regard, the State noted that
the international human rights system has a function that is collaborative and
complementary to that offered by States’ domestic laws. In the view of Bolivia, the
filing of a petition without having a judgment of the first instance and without having
denounced the alleged acts of torture is evidence of the inadmissibility of the charge.
44.
The State also contended that the alleged victims did not file an
appeal for extraordinary review of the final judgment, enshrined in Article 421 of the
Code of Criminal Procedures. According to the State, this standard clearly establishes
that there is no deadline for filing an appeal; on the contrary, the motion can proceed
at any time on behalf of the convicted, and could lead to the sentence being
overturned and a new trial being held.
IV.
ANALYSIS OF ADMISSIBILITY
7