84
254. The representative asked the Court to order the following measures of satisfaction:
(a) publication of the chapters on “context and proven facts, as well as the operative
paragraphs of the Judgment” handed down by the Court in “the official gazette and in a
national newspaper with widespread circulation”; (b) organization of a public act to
acknowledge international responsibility and to apologize to the members of María Isabel
Veliz Franco’s family; (c) “construction of a monument in memory of the women victims of
femicide, including María Isabel Veliz Franco”; (d) establishment of a scholarship fund for
young survivors of violence in honor of María Isabel Veliz Franco,”346 and (e) award of a
study grant to Leonel Enrique Veliz Franco and José Roberto Franco.347
255. For its part, in relation to the measures of satisfaction requested by the
representative, the State opposed the following: (a) organization of a public act to
acknowledge international responsibility and to apologize; (b) construction of a monument
in memory of the women victims of femicide, including María Isabel; (c) establishment of a
scholarship fund for young survivors of violence in honor of María Isabel Veliz Franco 348 and
(d) award of a study grant to María Isabel’s brothers.349
C.2) Considerations of the Court
C.2.1. Publication of the Judgment
256. The Court orders that, within six months of notification of this Judgment, the State
publish: (a) the official summary of this Judgment prepared by the Court, once, in the
official gazette of Guatemala; (b) the official summary of this Judgment prepared by the
Court, once, in a national newspaper with widespread circulation, and (c) this Judgment in
its entirety, to be available for one year on an official website of the Judiciary, as well as on
official websites of the Public Prosecution Service and the National Civil Police.
C.2.2. Public apology
257. The Court considers that the State should make a public apology in relation to the
facts of this case that occurred to María Isabel Veliz Franco and their subsequent
investigation. During this act the State should refer to the human rights violations declared
in this Judgment. The apology should be made in a public ceremony and be widely divulged.
The State must ensure the participation of Rosa Elvira Franco Sandoval, Leonel Enrique
Veliz Franco and José Roberto Franco, if they so wish, and invite the organizations that have
346
The representative asked that, “in order to preserve the memory of María Isabel, who had often expressed
her desire to pursue higher education, [… the Court] order the State to establish a fund in her memory to award
scholarships of at least five years, so that women survivors of violence may pursue a career in the field they
choose in a public higher education establishment.” Lastly, they indicated that “the participation of Mrs. Franco
[Sandoval] and her representatives in the implementation of this measure of reparation should be ensured.”
347
The representative indicated that, “on different occasions, the Inter-American Court has considered, as a
measure of satisfaction to redress the violation and its consequences, the award of study grants to victims or their
next of kin when, as a result of the human rights violations, they have had to face hardship and suffering in order
to complete their primary and secondary education or pursue university studies.” It understood that, in the case of
María Isabel’s brothers, “their educational opportunities were affected not only because of the loss of their sister,
but also due to the effects of the search for justice and truth undertaken by their mother.” Accordingly, it asked
that the State be ordered to award Leonel Enrique Veliz Franco and José Roberto Franco “grants so that they could
pursue advanced studies in the field, career or profession that they wished to study.”
348
In this regard, the State indicated that “among its institutional resources, it has different scholarship
programs for young people. However, establishing a new fund entails expenditure that the Government is not in a
position to cover.”
349
The State indicated that it “has institutions that have been created to provide scholarships to
underprivileged youths who need help to pay for their studies.” It also noted that the reparation requested “does
not indicate the type of studies to which it refers. The State therefore urges María Isabel’s brothers to apply to the
said scholarship programs, and if they meet the respective requirements, they can benefit from them.” It also
indicated that “[i]n this case, no evidence of any kind has been presented leading to the conclusion that María
Isabel’s brothers have suffered constraints to their education as a result of what happened to their sister.”