43
C.2.1. Publication of the judgment
158. The Court, as it has done in other cases, 214 orders the State to publish, within six
months of notification of this judgment: (a) the Court’s official summary of this judgment,
once, in the Official Gazette and in another newspaper of national circulation, in a legible
and adequate font and (b) the complete judgment, available for at least one year, on an
official Web site of the State that is accessible to the public and on the initial page of the
Web site. The State must immediately inform the Court when it has published each of the
above, notwithstanding the period of one year to present its first report ordered in
operative paragraph 15 of this judgment.
C.2.2. Public act of recognition of responsibility
159. The Commission considered that there should be “measures of satisfaction for the
recovery of memory of the victims and for the public recognition of State responsibility
for the events.”
160. The representative requested that the President of the Republic ask the victims for
forgiveness and that he recognize international responsibility for the commission of
serious violations of human rights committed by the State.
161. The State indicated that it was willing to hold a public act of recognition of
responsibility, but only for those acts for which the Court attributed its responsibility.
162. The Court welcomes that the State, through its highest-ranking authorities and
immediately after the massacre took place, has manifested an “institutional recognition”
of what had occurred and that it had begun judicial action with respect to the incident.
Nevertheless, Guatemala has not recognized its international responsibility for the
violations declared in this judgment.
163. Given the above, as well as the State’s consent with respect to the requested
measure, the Court, as it has done in other cases,215 finds it necessary, in order to repair
the harm caused to the victims, to order that the State, within one year of notification of
this judgment, hold a public act of recognition of responsibility in which it refers to the
events of this case and the State’s responsibility in the terms of this judgment. The
Spanish language should be used in the act. Should it be necessary for the understanding
of some or various of the victims, the State must reach an agreement with the victims or
their representatives for the act to also be held in other languages. The act is to be carried
live on radio and/or television and in a public ceremony in the presence of high-ranking
State officials and the victims. The time, place and other details of such ceremony are to
be agreed with the victims and their representatives. The State must guarantee and pay
the expenses of the necessary transportation so that the victims who are in Guatemala
might attend the act.
C.2.3. Health Center
Even in the absence of an express request, as occurred in this case. Cf. Case of Cantoral Benavides v. Peru,
supra, para. 79 and Case of the Xucuru Indigenous People and its members v. Brazil. Preliminary Objections,
Merits, Reparations and Costs. Judgment of February 5, 2018. Series C No. 346, para. 198.
215
Cf. Case of Bámaca Velásquez v. Guatemala. Reparations and Costs. Judgment of February 22, 2002. Series
C No. 91, para. 84 and Case of Ramírez Escobar et al. v. Guatemala, supra, para. 306.
214