As of that time, his forced disappearance ceased. However, this does not affect the
classification of the acts perpetrated against him during the time he was disappeared as
forced disappearance, 564 regardless of its duration.
369. This Court has also established that Carlos Horacio Urán Rojas was executed while he
was in the custody of State agents, which constitutes extrajudicial execution. Consequently,
taking into account the considerations made in the previous chapter, the State violated the
rights recognized in Articles 7, 5(1), 5(2), 4(1), and 3 of the American Convention, in
relation to Article 1(1) of this instrument, to the detriment of Carlos Horacio Urán Rojas.
The obligation to ensure the said rights by a diligent and effective investigation will be
analyzed in Chapter XI of this Judgment.
X
RIGHTS TO PERSONAL LIBERTY AND TO PHYSICAL INTEGRITY IN RELATION TO
THE OBLIGATION TO RESPECT AND TO ENSURE RIGHTS
A. Arguments of the parties and of the Commission
370. The Commission argued that Yolanda Santodomingo Albericci, Eduardo Matson Ospino
and Orlando Quijano were rescued from the Palace of Justice on November 6, 1985, and
taken to the Casa del Florero where they were detained. Then, “[a]fter being classified as
‘special’ and accused of collaborating with the guerrilla, they were taken to different police
and military garrisons.” According to the Commission, “[t]here, they were interrogated and
received death threats to make them “confess” to their participation in the events of the
Palace, while being subjected to ill-treatment.” The Commission also determined that José
Vicente Rubiano Galvis was detained from November 7 to 23, 1985, by members of the
Army and that “he was also subjected to ill-treatment and accused of being a ‘subversive.’”
According to the Commission, the detention of these victims “took place in the context of a
pattern of abuse of power aimed at interrogating and torturing them in order to obtain
information and incriminate them as members of the guerrilla,” so that it was arbitrary in
violation of Article 7(3) of the Convention. In the specific case of José Vicente Rubiano
Galvis, the Commission underlined that the Military Forces should not have competence in
matters that are the jurisdiction of the Judicial Police. It also considered that these
detentions violated paragraphs 4, 5 and 6 of Article 7 of the Convention because they were
carried out without a court order and without informing the victims of the reasons for their
detention; because “they were not brought before a judge immediately, but remained
throughout their detention in the custody of the Army,” and because, “since the detentions
took place in the context of a pattern of abuse of power, […] the detainees were unable to
file a simple and effective remedy” to protect their rights to personal liberty, to physical
integrity, and to life. In addition, the Commission concluded that “the circumstances in
which the detention was carried out […] constitute per se a violation of their mental and
moral integrity,” because “the victims were detained illegally and arbitrarily by members of
the Army.” The Commission also found that “sufficient evidence exists to conclude that
Yolanda Ernestina Santodomingo Albericci, Eduardo Matson Ospino, Orlando Quijano and
José Vicente Rubiano Galvis were subjected to torture while in the State’s custody”; hence
the State is responsible for the violation of Article 5 of the Convention, in relation to Article
1(1) of this instrument.
371. The representatives argued that Yolanda Santodomingo Albericci, Eduardo Matson
Ospino and Orlando Quijano were evacuated from the Palace of Justice and taken to the
Casa del Florero, where they were classified as “special hostages.” They affirmed that
Yolanda Santodomingo Albericci and Eduardo Matson Ospino “were victims of physical and
564
Cf. Case of Gudiel Álvarez et al. (Diario Militar) v. Guatemala. Merits, reparations and costs. Judgment of
November 20, 2012. Series C No. 253, para. 195.
126
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