professional, business, family, social and political prestige and (c) the restoration of his
electoral and political rights together with his eligibility by the State to hold public office.
193. The State indicated that these measures of reparation, such as the request to restore
the electoral and political rights of the alleged victim, do not relate to the facts in this case.
It also noted that the inter-American system cannot be used as an instance of review of
national decisions delivered in accordance with national and conventional standards.
194. As to these requests, the Court notes that they lack a causal nexus with the violations
declared in this judgment and, therefore, the Court considers that the delivery of this
judgment and the reparations ordered in this chapter are sufficient and adequate to redress
the violations suffered by the victim and does not find it necessary to order additional
measures.
C. Costs and expenses
195. The representative requested that the Court set and order that the State pay the costs
of this process, which includes the professional activities in monitoring and defending Case
Nº 12.984 before the Inter-American Commission and the activities before the Court. The
State did not specifically refer to this measure of reparation.
196. The Court reiterates that, in accordance with its case law, costs and expenses form
part of the concept of reparation as long as the activities deployed by the victims to obtain
justice, at both the national and international planes, entail disbursements that must be
compensated when the international responsibility of the State has been declared in a
judgment. Regarding reimbursement of costs and expenses, the Court must prudently assess
their scope, which includes the expenses incurred before the authorities of the domestic
jurisdiction, as well as those incurred during the proceedings before the inter-American
system, taking into account the circumstances of the specific case and the nature of the
international jurisdiction of the protection of human rights. This assessment may be made
based on the principle of equity and in consideration of the expenses indicated by the parties,
provided their quantum is reasonable.199
197. The Court has held that “the claims of the victims or their representatives in relation
to costs and expenses, and the evidence supporting them, must be presented to the Court at
the first procedural opportunity granted them; namely, in the brief containing motions and
pleadings, without prejudice to those claims being updated subsequently, to include new costs
and expenses incurred as a result of the proceedings before [the] Court.” The Court also
reiterates that “it is not sufficient to remit probative documents; rather the parties must
develop the reasoning that relates the evidence to the fact under consideration and, in the
case of alleged financial disbursements, the items and their justifications must be described
clearly.”200
198. There is no precise probative evidence in the record of this case on the costs and
expenses that Mr. Romero Feris or his representative incurred in the proceedings before the
Court. The Court, however, considers that such proceedings necessarily imply monetary
disbursements and, therefore, it determines that the State must deliver to the representative
the sum of USD 10,000.00 (ten thousand United States dollars) for costs and expenses. This
amount is to be paid directly to the representative. During the stage of monitoring compliance
Cf. Case of Garrido and Baigorria v. Argentina. Reparations and Costs. Judgment of August 27, 1998. Series
C No. 39, paras. 79 and 82 and Case of Ruiz Fuentes et al. v. Guatemala. Preliminary Objection, Merits, Reparations
and Costs. Judgment of October 10, 2019. Series C No. 385, para. 251.
199
Cf. Case of Chaparro Álvarez and Lapo Íñiguez v. Ecuador, paras. 275 and 277 and Case of Ruiz Fuentes et
al. v. Guatemala, para. 251.
200
37
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