possible to establish contact with José Rubén Rivera Rivera, whose identity was confirmed
scientifically by DNA testing.
14.
As regards Serapio Cristian Contreras, the State explained that, on August 7, 2012,
it had received information from the Asociación Pro-Búsqueda de Niños and Niñas
Desaparecidos (hereinafter “Asociación Pro-Búsqueda”) concerning his discovery, which had
been achieved exclusively by the said Association. On August 9, 2012, a representative of
the State participated in the family reunion which took place in the home of María Maura
Contreras, in the department of San Vicente. According to information provided by the
Asociación Pro-Búsqueda, it had information about this case as of June 2012, but it had
waited to receive the respective genetic report. During the said reunion, the State had
informed the victim of its willingness to arrange his medical care and other measures when
he considered this appropriate.13
15.
The State also advised that, as part of the investigation to find Julia Inés Contreras,
the National Search Commission had interviewed family members, key informants who had
connections to the Armed Forces of El Salvador, and female personnel who provided
cooking, cleaning and laundry services on military bases. As a result, a person was found
who it was thought might be Julia Inés Contreras, but the DNA evidence disproved this
possibility. In addition, as part of the investigation to find the sisters Ana Julia and
Carmelina Mejía Ramírez, the National Search Commission had interviewed key informants
and requested the collaboration of the office that keeps a record of the country’s citizens to
obtain data on possible informants, without this investigation having produced conclusive
results.
16.
The representatives expressed their satisfaction and pleasure that the whereabouts
of José Rubén Rivera Rivera had been discovered, and agreed with the State that it was
important to continue taking the necessary measures for him to be able to receive
psychosocial assistance if he so wished and to reunite with his biological family as soon as
possible. In addition, they appreciated the work of the National Search Commission;
nevertheless, they considered it particularly important that the representatives should be
informed about the investigations that it was undertaking, especially in cases where
decisions have been taken by organs of the inter-American system for the protection of
human rights. This was because, in the instant case, they had not been informed officially of
the victim’s discovery by the National Search Commission, but found out about it during a
public event, and subsequently asked the said Commission for information, which was
provided to them. They asked the Court to consider that the State had complied with the
obligation to find José Rubén Rivera Rivera. Regarding the discovery of Serapio Cristian
Contreras, the representatives explained that the Asociación Pro-Búsqueda had been
investigating the case since 1994, and that in 2012 it had been able to prove that the victim
had been adopted by a family in El Salvador and that he had been registered under another
name. In addition, they asked the Court to urge the State to incorporate the said victim as a
beneficiary of the measures of reparation that correspond to him. With regard to Julia Inés
Contreras, the representatives considered that the information provided by the State was
“very brief and imprecise,” because it did not mention whether searches had been
conducted in the military archives or whether senior members of the military had been
interviewed and, also, despite the fact that the cooks in the barracks (also known as
13
In addition,, the State indicated that, on October 18, 2012, the Asociación Pro-Búsqueda and the Ministry
of Foreign Affairs of El Salvador had signed an inter-institutional cooperation agreement, in order to organize the
necessary coordination and cooperation measures between this Association and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs,
through the Salvadoran diplomatic and consular representatives abroad, in order to facilitate reunions with their
biological families of children who were disappeared during the armed conflict and who are found abroad.
7