9
Implementation of human rights education programs
31.
That, in relation to the duty to implement, within a reasonable time, human rightsoriented programs for the members of intelligence services, the Armed Forces and the
National Police, as well as for prosecutors and judges (operative paragraph fifteen of the
Judgment,) the State provided information about the application of human rights programs
in the training centers of the Armed forces and reported that, subsequently, it implemented
the necessary changes to cause the Centro de Derecho Internacional Humanitario
(International Humanitarian Law Center) of the Armed Forces, within the Comando
Conjunto de las Fuerzas Armadas (Armed Forces Joint Staff,) to provide training in the field
of human rights. The State affirmed that the Judiciary carried out academic activities aimed
at disseminating human rights information and that the Judiciary Academy “organizes on an
ongoing and permanent” basis seminars and distant learning courses in human rights in the
administration of justice for judges, prosecutors and other judicial officers. Furthermore, it
highlighted that the Academy decided to include the Judgment of the Court in the instant
case as mandatory material in the courses, together with international human rights
instruments. It further reported on the human rights courses of the professional
development, training, specialization, and continuing education centers of the Sistema
Educativo Policial (Police Educational System.) Therefore, the State considers that it has
partly complied with this operative paragraph based on the progress mentioned above.
32.
That the representatives suggested that it was necessary to continue monitoring
compliance with this operative paragraph on an ongoing basis. They considered that the
reports submitted by the State showed that a series of human rights education activities
were organized, but that this should not be considered per se “sufficient and efficient” in
training members of the intelligence service, the Armed Forces and the National Police, as
well as prosecutors and judges. Therefore, the representatives concluded that, despite the
progress made in training police officers, it is necessary that the State provide more
detailed and comprehensive information on the education of other public officers as ordered
in the Judgment, and requested that “ongoing monitoring” be made of both the frequency of
the courses and the syllabus and evaluation methods to assess their effectiveness and to
fully comply with this operative paragraph.
33.
That the Commission greatly appreciated “the actions taken to implement human
rights education programs,” but noted that the information on said courses of study failed to
detail their permanent nature, and suggested that the State should keep on implementing
the necessary measures to fully comply with its obligation. Subsequently, the Commission
expressed its concerns about the lack of updated information and reiterated that the
information then furnished “was not sufficient to assess the syllabus, scope, maintenance
and impact of the activities carried out by the State.”
34.
That the Court reminds that human rights education in the organizations involved in
national security, as well as in those associated with justice administration, is vital to secure
that acts similar to the events occurred in the instant case will not happen again. The
Tribunal highly praises the information submitted and the progress referenced in relation to
human rights training courses in justice administration departments, the Armed Forces and
the National Police. In particular, the Court notes that the human rights courses have been
designed to the members of police and military forces of different hierarchy, and that
international human rights instruments have been included in the syllabus of those courses,
as required. Moreover, the State has included as mandatory reference in the training of
judges the Judgment delivered by the Court in this case and has forwarded it to the Consejo
Superior de Justicia Militar (Military Justice Supreme Council.)