11
of indigenous and tribal peoples in general […] enjoy and exercise a particular right; that
is, the right to use and enjoy property collectively in accordance with their ancestral
traditions.”36
47. As previously stated by the Court, recognition of juridical personality is essential,
since the breach of said recognition “implies the absolute denial of the possibility of being
the holder of such rights and of assuming obligations, and renders individuals vulnerable
to the non-observance of the same by the State or by individuals.” The States must
guarantee “the legal and administrative conditions that may secure for them the exercise
of such right” especially to “those persons in situations of vulnerability, exclusion, and
discrimination.”37
48. For the first time in the Case of the Kichwa Indigenous Community of Sarayaku v.
Ecuador, the Court established that the violation of the rights to consultation, to
indigenous community property, and to cultural identity, but also to the judicial
guarantees and judicial protection, had been perpetrated in detriment of the Kichwa
Indigenous People of Sarayaku.38
49. Additionally, the Court established that the injured party was the Community and
considered that:
On previous occasions, in cases concerning indigenous and tribal communities or peoples, the
Court has declared violations to the detriment of the members of indigenous or tribal
communities and peoples. However, international law on indigenous or tribal communities and
peoples recognizes rights to the peoples as collective subjects of international law and not only
as members of such communities or peoples. In view of the fact that indigenous or tribal
communities and peoples, united by their particular ways of life and identity, exercise some
rights recognized by the Convention on a collective basis, the Court points out that the legal
considerations expressed or indicated in this Judgment should be understood from that
collective perspective.39
50. Upon ordering pecuniary reparations for non-pecuniary damages, the Court
considered the specific damage caused in detriment of the Community, referring to “the
suffering caused to the People and to their cultural identity, the impact on their territory,
[…] as well as the changes caused in their living conditions and way of life.”40
51. This important development was made, as stated by the Court, following the
corresponding international regulations, referring specifically to Article 3(1) of
Convention 169 of the ILO, which states that: “[i]ndigenous and tribal peoples shall
enjoy the full measure of human rights and fundamental freedoms without hindrance or
discrimination. The provisions of the Convention shall be applied without discrimination
36
Case of the Saramaka People v. Suriname, paras. 168 to 169.
Case of the Sawhoyamaxa Indigenous Community v. Paraguay, paras. 188 to 189; Cfr. Case of the
Girls Yean and Bosico v. Dominican Republic. Judgment of September 8, 2005. Series C No. 130, para. 179,
and Case of Bámaca Velásquez v. Guatemala. Merits. Judgment of November 25, 2000. Series C No. 70, para.
179.
37
Cfr. Case of the Kichwa Indigenous People of Sarayaku v. Ecuador. Merits and Reparations. Judgment
of June 27, 2012. Series C No. 245, para. 341(2) and (4).
38
Case of the Kichwa Indigenous People of Sarayaku v. Ecuador. Merits and Reparations. Judgment of
June 27, 2012. Series C No. 245, para. 231.
39
Case of the Kichwa Indigenous People of Sarayaku v. Ecuador. Merits and Reparations. Judgment of
June 27, 2012. Series C No. 245, para. 323. See also Case of the Kuna Indigenous People of Madungandí and
the Emberá Indigenous People of Bayano and their Members v. Panama. Preliminary Objections, Merits,
Reparations, and Costs. Judgment of October 14, 2014. Series C No. 284, para. 246.
40