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status of the procedure followed under Act No. 445 for the delimitation, demarcation
and titling of the territory of the members of the Awas Tingni Community (supra
Having seen paragraph 2).
12.
That, during the private hearing held on May 3, 2008, at the seat of the Court,
the State once again indicated, in relation to the third operative paragraph, that Act
No. 445 had been promulgated, establishing the mechanisms and procedures for the
demarcation and titling of indigenous lands. It indicated that these mechanisms were
established by the legislators in conjunction with indigenous leaders and that, as
established in this act, any existing disputes between the applicant community and the
neighboring communities needed to be settled. It specified that, in the case of the
Awas Tingni Community, there were two different disputes, one of them with the Tasba
Raya communities, which had been settled by the competent authority on February 14,
2007, and the other arising from a supposed overlapping alleged by the Miskita group
known as the “Ten Communities,” which was pending settlement.
13.
That, in the observations they presented on April 25, 2003, the representatives
stated that they “acknowledge that Act No. 445 reflects a historic achievement for the
indigenous peoples of the Atlantic Coast and represents a first step in the State’s
compliance with [the third operative] paragraph of the Judgment.” However, they also
said that “it is impossible to determine […] whether this act will constitute an effective
mechanism for titling the Community’s lands.” In subsequent observations, including
those submitted on November 17, 2004, January 18 and September 6, 2005, and June
19, 2006, the representatives indicated that, despite the deadlines established in Act
No. 445 and the State’s undertaking to give priority to the delimitation, demarcation
and titling of the lands of the members of the Community, the latter’s application has
suffered various delays and the process was at a standstill. They considered that the
act did not represent an effective mechanism. On November 17, 2004, they asked the
Court to declare that the State had failed to comply with the third operative paragraph.
However, at the private hearing on May 3, 2008, the representatives made no specific
reference to the status of compliance with this operative paragraph.
14.
That, in its observations, the Inter-American Commission stated that it
“recognized the progress made […owing to the] adoption of the new Act [No.] 445 and
the appointment of a representative of the President to coordinate and monitor
compliance with the Judgment.” However, it pointed to the lack of progress in the
process of delimitation, demarcation and titling of the lands of the members of the
Awas Tingni Community. Nevertheless, the Commission acknowledged that the State
had complied with the third operative paragraph of the Judgment, and reaffirmed this
during the private hearing held on May 3, 2008.
15.
That, from the information forwarded by the parties and provided by them
during the said private hearing, the Court observes that the State, as ordered in the
third operative paragraph of the Judgment, promulgated Act No. 445, whose purpose
is to regulate the communal property regime of the indigenous and ethnic lands of the
Atlantic Coast and the Coco, Bocay, Indio and Maiz Rivers, and to establish the
necessary legal procedures for the delimitation, demarcation and titling of the
communal lands. Consequently, the Court considers that the third operative paragraph
of the Judgment has been complied with.
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