21
66.
Bearing the foregoing in mind, the Court concludes that there is no evidence
that the State may have disregarded the right of the victims to have a hearing before
an impartial tribunal, but it has been indeed shown that its legislation (supra para.
59) and its case law (supra para. 61) prevented them from requesting the review of
the impartiality of the body trying them. To put it a different way, non-compliance
with the duty to respect the right has not been shown, but rather that guarantee
thereof is lacking.
67.
Based on all of the foregoing, the Tribunal declares the State to have failed to
guarantee the right of the victims to a hearing before an impartial tribunal,
something that is in violation of Article 8(1) of the Convention in relation to Articles
1(1) and 2 thereof.
4.
Right to a hearing
68.
The Commission indicated that the CPAM decided that the judges of the First
Court had incurred in an inexcusable judicial error “without first allowing them to
submit [to such Chamber] the arguments showing the reasonableness of the decision
adopted.”
69.
The representative coincided with the Commission and added that the CPAM
“did not allow [the alleged victims] to attach recent case law by that [same
Chamber], wherein [the] decision [of the First Court, on the case which had been
removed from it] was sustained.” He argued, furthermore, that the judges of the
First Court “were not parties” in the case removed from their jurisdiction.
70.
The State pointed out that “when some of the [STJ] Chambers with
competent jurisdiction hear a judgment delivered by a lower court that they
themselves have removed, no subjective opinion is formed which might amount to
prejudice on disciplinary aspects concerning the judges” but rather “an objective one
leading to interrupt the normal course of the proceedings in the case under
consideration by such lower courts.”
71.
In the proceedings before CPAM wherein the request to remove the case
thereto was determined (supra paras. 32 and 33) the parties were the Registradora
Subalterna del Primer Circuito del Municipio Baruta del Estado Miranda [First Circuit
Junior Registrar in the Baruta Township of Miranda State], in her capacity as the one
requesting the removal of the case to the upper court, and the attorney-at-law for
the person who had brought the action on precautionary amparo before the First
Court.80 The judges of the First Court were not parties to such proceedings.
72.
Pursuant to Article 8(1) of the Convention, the right to a hearing requires
every person to be able to have access to the state body or tribunal in charge of
determining his rights and obligations.
73.
In this regard, the Court underscores that, in the proceedings for the removal
of the case to the upper court, no right or obligation of the judges delivering the
ruling under revision is determined.81 Besides, pursuant to the Judiciary Career Act,
an inexcusable judicial error may not only be declared in proceedings seeking a case
transfer to an upper court, but in any other proceeding in appeal or whereby any
80
81
Cf. judgment No. 809 of May 29, 2003 issued by the CPAM, supra note 38, p. 1007.
Cf. article 42 of the Supreme Court of Justice Organic Law, supra note 32, and article 18 of the
STJ Organic Law, supra note 31.