the day of the demonstration of this gay group I was present and it was horrible
to see how they kissed each other.” 165
114. The Court notes that, in this case, the Peruvian administrative and judicial
authorities were faced with strong indications of discrimination based on the sexual
orientation of Mr. Olivera and his partner, not only in the complaint filed by Mr. Olivera
and his testimony, but also in the statements made by employees of Supermercados
Peruanos S.A., as well as the supermarket’s own defense strategy. Therefore, given that
the American Convention stipulates the prohibition of discrimination on the basis of
sexual orientation, the possible restriction of a right required a rigorous and weighty
justification. 166 Thus, it was up to the national authorities to require the accused
company to demonstrate either that its actions did not have a discriminatory purpose or
effect, 167 or that there was an objective and reasonable justification, 168 that is, that they
pursued a legitimate aim and there was a reasonable proportionality between the means
used and the end pursued. 169
115. However, this did not happen in the instant case, since the administrative and
judicial authorities decided that Mr. Olivera had not provided sufficient proof of the
alleged discriminatory treatment, without properly analyzing the numerous indications
that existed and applying the principle of presumption of innocence in favor of the
accused company. 170 For instance, at the administrative level, the CPC asked Mr. Olivera
to prove that the treatment required of him was not “equally required of other
consumers,” noting, as an example, that Mr. Olivera had to prove that “at the time of
preventing the entry of a customer, persons of other racial characteristics were allowed
to enter without such requirements.” 171 For its part, the Chamber for the Defense of
Competition also considered that since the facts were based solely on the allegations of
both parties, the issue did not merit further analysis. 172 It also added that there must be
“certainty regarding the infraction committed.” 173 Likewise, at the judicial level, the
Superior Court of Justice of Lima considered that the evidence provided by Mr. Olivera
was not sufficient because it was only partial evidence, which meant that “the judge had
165
Cf. Letters provided by Supermercados Peruanos S.A. as annexes to the answering brief of October
19, 2004 (evidence file, folio 1857).
166
Cf. ECHR, Karner v. Austria, No. 40016/98, Judgment of July 24, 2003, para. 37, and Kozak v. Poland,
no. 13102/02, Judgment of March 2, 2010, para. 92.
167
See, mutatis mutandis, Case of Atala Riffo and Daughters v. Chile, supra, para. 124.
168
Cf. Juridical Condition and Human Rights of the Child. Advisory Opinion OC-17/02 of August 28, 2002.
Series A No. 17, para. 46, and Case of Guevara Díaz v. Costa Rica, supra, para. 49.
169
Cf. Case of Norín Catrimán (Leaders, Members and Activist of the Mapuche Indigenous People) et al.
v. Chile. Merits, reparations and costs. Judgment of May 29, 2014. Series C No. 279, para. 200, and Case of
Guevara Díaz v. Costa Rica, supra, para. 49.
170
Cf. Tribunal for the Defense of Competition and Protection of Intellectual Property, Defense of
Competition Chamber, Decision No. 0665-2006/TDC-INDECOPI, May 17, 2006 (evidence file, folio 46), and
Supreme Court of Justice, Permanent Civil Chamber, Decision No. 2145-2009, June 14, 2010, (evidence file,
folio 75).
171
Cf. Consumer Protection Commission (CPC) of the National Institute for the Defense of Competition
and Protection of Intellectual Property (INDECOPI), Decision of August 31, 2005 (evidence file, folio 1893).
172
Cf. Tribunal for the Defense of Competition and Protection of Intellectual Property, Defense of
Competition Chamber, Decision No. 0665-2006/TDC-INDECOPI, May 17, 2006 (evidence file, folio 48).
173
Cf. Tribunal for the Defense of Competition and Protection of Intellectual Property, Defense of
Competition Chamber, Decision No. 0665-2006/TDC-INDECOPI, May 17, 2006 (evidence file, folio 1921).
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