ORDER OF THE PRESIDENT OF THE
INTER-AMERICAN COURT OF HUMAN RIGHTS
OF JULY 29, 1997
PROVISIONAL MEASURES REQUESTED BY THE
INTER-AMERICAN COMMISSION ON HUMAN RIGHTS
IN THE MATTER OF PERU
CESTI HURTADO CASE
HAVING SEEN:
1.
The request of July 17, 1997, submitted to the Inter-American Court of Human
Rights (hereinafter "the Court" or "the Inter-American Court") by the Inter-American
Commission on Human Rights (hereinafter "the Commission" or "the Inter-American
Commission") for the Court to adopt provisional measures, pursuant to Articles 63(2) of the
American Convention on Human Rights (hereinafter “the Convention” or “the American
Convention”) and 25(4) of the Rules of Procedure of the Court (hereinafter “the Rules of
Procedure”), on behalf of Mr. Gustavo Cesti Hurtado, in connection with case Nº 11.730
before the Commission against the State of Peru (hereinafter "the State" or "Peru").
2.
According to the Commission, the following events justify the provisional measures:
a)
That on December 23, 1996, the military Courts included Mr. Gustavo Cesti Hurtado, a
Peruvian army captain in retirement for the past 13 years, together with other officers, in a
complaint presented by the Army High Command for the crime of fraud and others, to the
detriment of the Peruvian State-Army, which resulted in a warrant for his arrest and a ban from
leaving the country;
b)
Article 173 of the Peruvian Constitution provides that members of the armed and police
forces shall be subject to military justice and to the provisions of the Code of Military Justice are
applicable to them in connection with crimes committed in the course of duty, this not being
applicable to civilians, save in allegations of treason and terrorism;
c)
That Mr. Cesti, being a civilian, worked solely in private practice although he maintained
a working relationship with the army as an insurance agent for the army with the insurance
company “Popular y Porvenir”;
d)
That Mr. Cesti filed a writ of habeas corpus before the Special Public Law Chamber,
which, on February 12, 1997, declared the writ admissible and ordered the immediate annulment
of the order of arrest, the order banning Mr. Cesti from leaving the country and the suspension of
the proceedings before the Supreme Council of Military Justice.
e)
That on February 26, 1997, the Examining Magistrate of the Supreme Court of Military
Justice overruled the order of habeas corpus, accused the members of the Special Law Chamber
of interference in the functions of the Court and ordered that the immediate execution of
detention order issued by the Supreme Court of Military Justice should be executed;
f)
That Mr. Cesti was arrested on February 27, 1997. He is currently being held at the