38.
Lastly, the Commission has competence ratione materiae, since
the petition refers to alleged violation of human rights protected by the
American Convention and the Convention of Belém do Pará. With regard
to the American Declaration, the Inter-American Commission has held
that, once the American Convention enters into force in a State, the
primary source of applicable law will be that treaty rather than the
American Declaration,32 provided the petition refers to a violation of
essentially identical rights enshrined in both instruments,33, and does
not involve an ongoing violation.34 In the instant case, the articles of the
American Declaration cited by the petitioner are incorporated in the
cited articles of the American Convention.
B.
1.
Admissibility of the petition
Exhaustion of domestic remedies
39.
Article 46(1)(a) and (2) of the Convention establishes as a
requirement for admission of a petition lodged with the Inter-American
Commission that the remedies under domestic law have been pursued
and exhausted in accordance with generally recognized principles of
international law, unless (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 (c) there has been unwarranted delay in rendering a
final judgment under the aforementioned remedies. The Inter-American
Court has repeatedly held that “the State claiming non-exhaustion has
an obligation to prove that domestic remedies remain to be exhausted
and that they are effective.”35
32 See IACHR, Report N° 03/01, Case 11.670, Amilcar Menéndez, Juan Manuel Caride
et al. (Social Security System), Argentina, January 19, 2001, para. 41.
33 I-A Court H.R., Interpretation of the American Declaration of the Rights and Duties
of Man Within the Framework of Article 64 of the American Convention on Human
Rights.Advisory Opinion OC-10/89 of July 14, 1989. Series A No. 10, para. 46.
34 See, for example, IACHR, Report Nº 1/01, Case 12.085, Ana Elena Townsend DiezCanseco et al., (intercepted telephone conversation), Peru, January 19, 2001, para. 23
and IACHR, Annual Report 1998, Report N° 38/99, Argentina, March 11, 1999, para.
13.
35 I-A Court H.R., Case of Velásquez Rodríguez. Preliminary Objections. Judgment of
June 26, 1987. Series C No. 1, para. 88; Case of Fairén Garbi and Solís Corrales,
Preliminary Objections. Judgment of June 26, 1987, Series C No. 2, para. 8; Case of
Godínez Cruz, Preliminary Objections. Judgment of June 26, 1987, Series C No. 3,
para. 90; Case of Gangaram Panday, Preliminary Objections. Judgment of December 4,
1991, Series C No.12, para. 38; Case of Neira Alegría et al., Preliminary Objections.
Judgment of December 11, 1991, Series C No.13, para. 30; Case of Castillo Páez,
Preliminary Objections. Judgment of January 30, 1996, Series C No. 24, para. 40; Case
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