112.
In this regard, the Commission indicated that, on receiving the initial petition, it had
identified three groups of facts: (a) those related to the preventive detention of Mr. Díaz Peña and
the duration of the proceedings; (b) those related to a series of irregularities in the criminal
proceedings, and (c) those related to the detention conditions and the lack of medical attention.
According to the Commission, these facts differed in nature and, owing to their continuing nature,
it had analyzed the requirement of exhaustion of domestic remedies separately; consequently, it
had declared the first and third groups of facts admissible – namely, the preventive detention, the
duration of the proceedings, and the issues of personal integrity – because it considered that Mr.
Díaz Peña had exhausted numerous domestic remedies, which it referred to in detail, as well as
taking different steps before the domestic authorities. Regarding the facts relating to irregularities
concerning due process, the Commission had declared the petition inadmissible precisely because
Raúl José Díaz Peña “waived the right to file an appeal against his conviction.” Hence, “since it
would have been possible to rectify some of the supposed violations of due process by using this
remedy, the Commission considered that the requirement of exhaustion of domestic remedies had
not been met at that time” and, consequently, “the analysis of the merits did not include the
arguments on the irregularities in the criminal proceedings; for example, the aspect relating to the
illegality of the way evidence was obtained.”
Arguments of the representative
113. For her part, the representative endorsed the arguments presented by the Commission and
asked that the Court declare the State’s arguments on the preliminary objection inadmissible and
continue hearing the case in its entirety. Specifically, the representative stated that, when the
petition was lodged before the Commission, the judgment convicting Raúl Díaz Peña had not been
delivered and, at that time, it was a question of protecting his rights to presumption of innocence,
not to be deprived of liberty unlawfully, to be tried while at liberty, and to due process, especially
regarding compliance with a reasonable time, regarding which she argued that the violations “had
already been committed and were substantiated as the facts evolved during the proceedings.” The
representative stated that Mr. Díaz Peña had exhausted the remedies provided under Venezuelan
law for the jurisdictional review of preventive detention, exercising an application for constitutional
amparo as a last remedy.221 Regarding the appeal for review established in article 470 of the Code
of Criminal Procedure, the representative indicated that it was only admissible against final
judgments, which did not apply to the presumed victim. In addition, she indicated that the reasons
why Raúl Díaz Peña did not exercise the domestic legal remedies when he was sentenced and
convicted “related to the constant and systematic failure of the Venezuelan Judiciary to comply
with the time frames established in the Code of Criminal Procedure for his trial and for deciding the
procedural incidents.”
B)
Considerations of the Court
114. First, the Court notes that the State, in its arguments, seeks to require the Court to modify
its consistent case law which affirms that if the objection of failure to exhaust domestic remedies is
not filed at the appropriate moment, the possibility of filing this objection is relinquished. In this
regard, the Court reiterates, as it has in the cases of Reverón Trujillo, Usón Ramírez and Chocrón
221
On this point, she indicated that Raúl José Díaz Peña technical defense counsel contested the decision that
confirmed the judicial measure of preventive detention by filing the appeal for review established in article 264 of the Code
of Criminal Procedure, arguing, basically, the expiry of the time limit for preventive detention under the provisions of article
244 of the said Code. To counter the negative decision, an application for constitutional amparo was filed, which was
declared inadmissible, and an appeal was filed against this declaration of inadmissibility, which was declared irreceivable by
the Constitutional Chamber of the Supreme Court of Justice.
42
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