179.
The Commission observes with concern that, although 42 years have elapsed since the incidents began,
as well as 33 years since the restoration of democracy and 13 years since the legal obstacles to investigating
and punishing these crimes were removed, those responsible for the forced disappearances of Mario Julien and
children have not been punished, nor have the fate and whereabouts of Victoria Grisonas and Mario Julien been
ascertained.
180.
Therefore, the Commission concludes that the state of Argentina violated the rights recognized in
Articles 8.1 and 25 of the Convention, in connection with its Article 1.1, as well as the obligation set forth in
Article I b) of the IACFDP, because those responsible for the forced disappearance Mario Roger Julien Cáceres
and the Larrabeiti Yáñez siblings have not yet been punished, nor have the fate and whereabouts of Victoria
Grisonas and Mario Julien been ascertained. Likewise, the state violated Articles 1, 6, and 8 of the IACPPT
because it has not, to date, investigated or punished the acts of torture perpetrated against the Larrabeiti Yáñez
siblings. Furthermore, the enforcement of Laws Nos. 23.492 and 23.521 and the resulting obstruction of
seeking justice, constituted a violation of the rights enshrined in Articles 8.1 and 25 of the Convention, in
connection with its Articles 1.1 and 2, and Article I, subparagraph b) of the IACFDP, to the detriment of the
Larrabeiti Yáñez siblings and their biological mother and father. Likewise, the late codification of the crime of
forced disappearance violated Article III of the IACFDP.
F.
Right to due process of law and effective judicial custody regarding Article 280 of the Code of
Civil and Commercial Procedure of the Nation
181.
On August 26, 1998, the Larrabeiti Yáñez siblings filed a civil lawsuit (Case File No. 24.518/98) against
the Ministry of the Interior for damages sustained because of the hope that their biological father would be
found alive, as a result of the fourth whereas clause of Decree 1025/96. As indicated in the Section on prior
matters, the allegations on the failure to provide reparations for the damages caused by said whereas clause, as
well as the alleged violations occurring in the framework of the lawsuit filed on August 26, 1998, are an integral
part of the subject of the instant case.
182.
This complaint was dismissed in the court of first instance on August 13, 2003, and this ruling was
upheld in the court of appeals on June 22, 2004. On August 3, 2004, the Larrabeiti Yáñez siblings filed an
extraordinary remedy because they believed this ruling was arbitrary, but this appeal was dismissed on
November 16, 2004. On December 10, 2004, they filed a complaint appeal with the CSJN alleging, among other
matters, that the judgment being appealed disregarded the evidence that was expressly invoked. On September
27, 2005, the CSJN ruled that the appeal was inadmissible on the basis of what is established in Article 280 of
the Code of Civil and Commercial Procedure of the Nation (Código Procesal Civil y Comercial de la Nación,
hereinafter CPCCN).
183.
The petitioner alleges that Article 280 of the CPCCN clashes with the right to due process of law and
the right to effective judicial protection, because it allows invoking non-substantiation and judicial discretion.
Therefore, the IACHR must review this allegation in light of the guarantees enshrined in the American
Convention.
184.
Regarding this provision of the CPCCN, the Inter-American Court established that “the fact that the
remedy had been rejected based on Article 280 of the Code of Civil and Commercial Procedure makes the
accessibility of the recourse uncertain, since this provision enables the unsubstantiated denial of the recourse,
so that those who turn to the justice system […] do not know the reasons why they were unable to have access
to that procedural mechanism.”173 Nevertheless, the Commission observes that said ruling of the Court was
issued in a criminal case where the right to appeal a judgment of conviction was not guaranteed. In that regard,
the Court considered that the remedy of complaint, “insofar as it safeguards access to [the ordinary appeal that
would make it possible to review a judgment of conviction]” did not constitute, in the concrete case, an effective
remedy to guarantee the right to a comprehensive remedy.
I/A Court H.R. Case of Mohamed v. Argentina. Preliminary Objection, Merits, Reparations, and Costs. Judgment of November 23, 2012.
Series C No. 255, para. 107.
173