VIII
MERITS
91. In the instant case, there is no dispute regarding the facts that Manuela was pregnant,
gave birth and suffered from preeclampsia, a complication of pregnancy which, as it
constitutes a serious health risk, should be characterized as an obstetric emergency.
92. What is in dispute is the State’s alleged responsibility for the detention, prosecution and
conviction of the presumed victim for aggravated homicide following the obstetric emergency
that she suffered, and also for the medical care that the presumed victim received, and the
alleged violation of professional secrecy by the medical staff who attended her. Bearing in
mind that this case does not refer to the occurrence of a therapeutic abortion, the context
established above will only be taken into account to the extent that it relates to the purpose
of the dispute.
93. Based on the arguments of the parties and the Commission, in the instant case, the
Court will examine: (1) the rights to personal liberty and presumption of innocence, in relation
to the obligations to respect rights and to adopt domestic legal provisions; (2) the rights to
judicial guarantees, personal integrity and equality before the law, in relation to the
obligations to respect rights without discrimination and to adopt domestic legal provisions;
(3) the rights to life, personal integrity, health, privacy, and equality before the law, in relation
to the obligation to respect rights without discrimination and to adopt domestic legal
provisions and (4) the right to personal integrity of the family members, in relation to the
obligation to respect rights.
VIII-1
RIGHTS TO PERSONAL LIBERTY182 AND PRESUMPTION OF INNOCENCE183 IN
RELATION TO THE OBLIGATIONS TO RESPECT RIGHTS184 AND TO ADOPT
DOMESTIC LEGAL PROVISIONS185
A.
Arguments of the parties and the Commission
94. The Commission argued that the initial detention of the presumed victim was unlawful
because it was not in keeping with in flagrante delicto. It also considered that the pretrial
detention of Manuela “was arbitrary from the outset and disregarded the principle of
presumption of innocence” because the judicial decisions that imposed this presumed that,
owing to the gravity of the crime, the presumed victim might obstruct the proceedings. It
stressed that “article 294 of the Code of Criminal Procedure of El Salvador explicitly
established that, in a case of aggravated homicide, pretrial detention cannot be replaced by
any other measure.” In addition, it underlined that the presumed victim had no effective
judicial remedy to contest the fact that her pretrial detention “contravened the Convention.”
95. The representatives argued that “Manuela’s detention was unlawful and arbitrary
because: (a) she was detained by application of a presumption of in flagrante delicto which
is contrary to the object and purpose of the treaty; (b) she was not informed of the reasons
for her detention and the charges against her; (c) her pretrial detention was ordered based
on a legal presumption of guilt; (d) her criminal trial was conducted in contravention of judicial
guarantees and judicial protection, and (e) the laws applied were contrary to the principle of
182
Article 7 of the Convention.
183
Article 8(2) of the Convention.
184
Article 1(1) of the Convention.
185
Article 2 of the Convention.
30