proposed by the representatives, as well as an expert proposed by the Commission, to
testify at the public hearing.7 The public hearing took place on March 10, 2020, during the
134th regular session that the Court held at its seat in San José.8 During the hearing, the
State acknowledged responsibility for the violations identified by the Commission in its
Merits Report. Additionally, during the hearing, the judges of the Court requested certain
information and explanations from the parties and the Commission.
10. Final written arguments and observations. In view of Orders of the Court 1/20 of March
17, 20209 and 2/20 of April 16, 2020,10 whereby it was decided to suspend the calculation
of all deadlines due to the health emergency caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, the
deadline for submitting final arguments was extended until June 18, 2020. Thus, on April
21 and June 18, 2020, the representatives and the State presented, respectively, their final
written arguments, along with several annexes. The Commission submitted its final written
observations on May 5, 2020. On June 9, 2020, the representatives amended and expanded
their final arguments.
11. Useful information and evidence. At the public hearing, the Court asked the State to
present certain documentation as evidence to facilitate adjudication.11 The State presented
part of this documentation along with its final arguments. The Court requested the missing
documentation on June 24, 2020, which the State presented in writing on July 8, 2020.
12. Observations on useful information and evidence. On July 2, 2020, the representatives
presented their observations on the annexes submitted by the State together with the final
written arguments. On July 23, 2020, the representatives presented observations on the
evidence requested by the Court and presented by the State on July 8, 2020. The
Commission did not submit observations.
13. Deliberation of this case. The Court deliberated on this judgment in a virtual session
on August 27 and 31, 2020.12
Cf. Case of Acosta Martínez et al. v. Argentina. Call to hearing. Order of the President of the InterAmerican
Court
of
Human
Rights
of
February
10,
2020.
Available
at:
http://www.corteidh.or.cr/docs/asuntos/acosta_martinez_10_02_2020.pdf.
7
The following people appeared at the hearing: This hearing was attended by: a) on behalf of the InterAmerican Commission: Paulo Abrão, then Executive Secretary, and Jorge H. Meza Flores, advisor; b) on behalf
of the representatives of the alleged victims: Ángel Acosta Martínez, alleged victim, and Myriam Carsen, lawyer
and c) on behalf of the State of Argentina: Alberto Javier Salgado, Director of International Litigation in Human
Rights Matters of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Religion of the Nation; Andrea Viviana Pochak,
Undersecretary of Protection and International Liaison on Human Rights of the Secretariat for Human Rights
of the Nation, and Gonzalo Bueno, Legal Advisor of the Litigation Department on International on Human
Rights of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Religion of the Nation.
8
9
Available at: http://www.corteidh.or.cr/docs/comunicados/cp_18_2020.pdf
10
Available at: http://www.corteidh.or.cr/docs/comunicados/cp_28_2020.pdf
The following were requested: A copy of the detainee logbook from the station where Mr. José Delfín
Acosta Martínez was sent, a copy of the Police Edict on Drunkenness; a copy of the Regulation of Procedures
for Misdemeanor Offenses; and a copy of the Organic Law of the Federal Police, with all of them being the
versions that were in force at the time of the facts of the case. Also requested were the current regulations in
force in the City of Buenos Aires—both in terms of substance and procedure—governing detentions without a
court order and the powers of the Federal Police regarding misdemeanor offenses, the opinion of PROCUVIN,
and the technical report of the General Investigations Criminal Investigation Support Office that served as the
basis for this order.
11
Due to the exceptional circumstances brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic, this judgment was
deliberated and approved during the 136th regular sessions, which was held remotely, using technological
means, in keeping with the provisions of the Rules of Procedure of the Court.
12
6