13
México, expert witness proposed by the representatives. She provided an
opinion on: i) the impact suffered by Mrs. Fernández Ortega, personally and
with regard to her family, owing to the alleged rape and the supposed
impunity of the case, and ii) the measures needed to repair the damage
allegedly caused
15.
Rosalva Aída Hernández Castillo, Ph.D. in social anthropology,
professor and researcher of the Center for Research and Higher Education in
Social Anthropology, specialized in studies on the situation of indigenous
women in Mexico, expert witness proposed by the representatives. She
provided an opinion on: i) the impact of the alleged rape of Mrs. Fernández
Ortega on the indigenous community, especially the women; ii) the alleged
harm of the social fabric of the community and the supposed impunity in the
case, and iii) possible measures of reparation.
B.
Assessment of the documentary evidence
30.
In this case, as in others,27 the Court admits the probative value of those
documents forwarded by the parties at the appropriate procedural opportunity,
which were not contested or opposed and the authenticity of which was not
questioned.
31.
On the other hand, the Court will examine, in the first place, the
observations made by Mexico on some of the offered documents and in the brief of
pleadings and motions, and then will rule on those that were provided by the
representatives and the State following their brief of pleadings and motions and
brief in response to the application, respectively.
32.
The State raised objections to certain texts,28 newspaper Articles29 and
documents concerning the domestic proceedings and the precautionary measures30
27
Cf. Velásquez Rodríguez v. Honduras. Merits. Judgment of July 29, 1988. Series C No. 4, para.
140; Case of Chitay Nech et al, supra note 18, para. 50, Case of Manuel Cepeda Vargas, supra note 18,
para. 56.
28
The State mentioned the following publications: United Nations Office of the High Commissioner
for Human Rights in Mexico. Report on the Human Rights Situation in Mexico, [Diagnóstico sobre la
Situación de los Derechos Humanos en Mexico], 2003 (file of annexes to the application, tome II, annex
2, folios 157 to 360); Amnesty International. Mexico: Indigenous Women and Military injustice, [México:
Mujeres indígenas e injusticia militar], November 23, 2004 (file of annexes to the application tome II,
annex 3, folios 362 to 388); World Organization Against Torture, Geneva. Alleged rape of an elderly
indigenous woman by members of the military results in her death, [Presunta violación sexual por
militares resultando en muerte de una mujer indígena mayor], March 8, 2007 (file of annexes to the
application, tome II, annex 22, folio 584 to 594); Juan Méndez, Guillermo O’Donnell, Paula Sergio
Pinheiro. The (Un)Rule of Law and the Underprivileged in Latin America, Reducing Discrimination against
Women in Mexico, a task for Sisyphus [Reduciendo la Discriminación contra las Mujeres en México, Una
tarea de Sisyphus], Mariclaire Acosta, University of Notre Dame Press, 1998 (file of annexes to the
application, tome II, annex 23, folio 596 to 616); Global Exchange, Centro de Investigaciones
Económicas y Políticas de Acción Comunitaria, A.C. (CIEPAC) and Centro Nacional de Comunicación
Social A.C. (CENCOS). Always close, always far: The Armed Forces in Mexico [Siempre cerca, siempre
lejos: Las fuerzas armadas en México], 2000 (file of annexes to the brief of pleadings and motions, tome
I, annex A, folio 3781 to 3790); International Peace Brigades. Silenced: Violence against human rights
defenders in the south of Mexico [Silenciados: Violencia contra defensores de derechos humanos en el
sur de México], Newsletter of the Mexico Project, Special Edition on Ayutla, May 2009 (file of annexes to
the brief of pleadings and motions, tome I, annex L, folio 3888 to 3899), and Amnesty International.
Promoting the rights of indigenous peoples in Mexico. Organization of the Indigenous Me’phaa People.
Human Rights Defenders [Promover los derechos de los pueblos indígenas de México. Organización del
Pueblo Indígena Me’phaa. Defensores y Defensoras de Derechos Humanos], October 2008 (file of
annexes to the brief of pleadings and motions, tome I, annex M, folio 3901 to 3904).
29
The newspaper Articles mentioned by the State are as follows: Newspaper el Sur. Indigenous
People protect narcotics crops: General Lopez Gutierrez [“Los indígenas protegen sembradíos de
enervantes: General López Gutiérrez”], February 11, 2004 (file of annexes to the application, tome II,
annex 21, folio 582); Newspaper La Jornada. El Sur. More rapes and homicides if the Army continues in
the Mountain [“Más violaciones y homicidios si el Ejército sigue en la Montaña”], May 12, 1999 (file of