Despite the general progress made in its laws towards recognizing the rights of the
indigenous peoples, there are still legal provisions in its civil, agrarian, and
administrative law that were applied in this case and that caused the State system to
function in a discriminatory way, since it gave priority to the protection of the right
to private property that was being exploited rationally over the protection of the
territorial rights of the indigenous population.
33.
For their part, the representatives indicated that there is “a policy of
discrimination that features an easily-observable systematic pattern and that also
enjoys a high level of consensus in Paraguay, which is rapidly leading to the extreme
deterioration of the living conditions of the indigenous communities in general and, in
this [specific] case […] of the Xákmok Kásek [Community].” “The alleged factual and
legal impossibility [of granting title to the land] mentioned by the State of Paraguay
is nothing more than the deliberate application of a racist and discriminatory policy.”
34.
In my opinion, although there is some discrimination among the population
towards the indigenous peoples based on a legacy of colonialism, which the
education system is trying to reverse, there is no deliberate agreement or consensus
to apply a racist or discriminatory policy, which gives priority to the protection of the
right to private property that is being exploited rationally over the protection of the
territorial rights of the indigenous population. It is my understanding the obligation
not to discriminate was not violated, although, in reality, the law needs to be
adapted in order to expedite the procedures for the indigenous communities to have
access to their ancestral lands, which endorses the opinion of the Court. However,
meanwhile, the provisions of the Constitution are applied, such as those that
guarantee private property, which is inviolable and can only be taken away by
expropriation, by a decision of the courts, upon payment of fair compensation, and
also because of the predominance of the Constitution over any international treaty or
convention and the express indication that any provision or act of authority contrary
to the provisions of the Constitution is invalid. Lastly, the immense resources
allocated by the State in recent years to the acquisition of land should be assessed
positively.
Augusto Fogel Pedrozo
Judge ad hoc
Pablo Saavedra Alessandri
Secretary
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