2
2.1.
Pursuant to the Supreme Council of Military Justice’s September 24, 1993
final judgment, citizen Cantoral-Benavides was subjected to the regular jurisdiction
with the commencement of an investigation on the date of October 8, 1993.
2.2.
Some days before the beginning of the regular criminal trial, citizen
Cantoral-Benavides filed a writ of habeas corpus that was declared inadmissible,
precisely because he was under arrest in the regular jurisdiction and as a
consequence of the criminal proceeding that had been established.
Citizen
Cantoral-Benavides did not interpose the writ of appeal and the resolution denying
habeas corpus remained in effect.
The Political Constitution of Peru and the laws on the subject determine the
remedies that can be exercised to exhaust the domestic jurisdiction. Thus, it is
evident that as to the writs of guarantee there was no exhaustion of national
jurisdiction.
2.3.
Following the proceedings to their final determination, the regular criminal
trial initiated against citizen Cantoral-Benavides terminated with the judgment of
the Supreme Court of the Republic of Peru on the date of October 6, 1995, which
upheld the sentence of imprisonment that had been imposed by the Criminal Court.
2.4.
Consequently, on having submitted the complaint to the Inter-American
Commission on April 18, 1994, the requirements of Article 46(1)(a) of the
American Convention were not fulfilled, as the criminal proceedings were in
progress and the domestic jurisdiction had not been exhausted.
3.
I dissent from the decision to continue with the consideration of the merits
for the reasons that I will explain.
3.1.
By means of Supreme Resolution No. 078-97-JUS of June 24, 1997, citizen
Cantoral-Benavides was granted a reprieve, for which reason the Agent of the
Government of Peru requested the dismissal of the case that is being tried by the
Court.
By means of the June 18, 1998 Resolution of the Court, the request for dismissal
was rejected because, among other reasons, the Agent of the Government of Peru
maintained the preliminary objections that he had raised.
3.2.
With the reprieve and the release of citizen Cantoral-Benavides there has
been a removal of the justiciable issues to be dealt with by this Court. Thus, the
right to compensation set forth in Article 10 of the American Convention and in
Article 139(7) of the Political Constitution of Peru is the only remaining issue in the
case.
3.3.
Consequently, my dissent from the decision to continue with the
consideration of the merits, is based on the above stated reasons and therefore is
not limited only to the compensatory aspects.
Fernando Vidal-Ramírez
Judge ad hoc
Manuel E. Ventura-Robles
Secretary