B. Considerations of the Court
125. This section will analyze the aforementioned arguments in the following order: a) the right
not to be unlawfully deprived of liberty and the right to be informed of the reasons for the
detention; b) the right to be brought promptly before “a judge or other officer authorized by law to
exercise judicial functions”; c) the application of the measure of arraigo and the subsequent
preventive detention of Daniel García Rodríguez and Reyes Alpízar Ortiz, and d) conclusion.
B.1. The right to not be unlawfully deprived of liberty and the right to be informed of the
reasons for detention
a) Regarding the legality of the detentions of Daniel García Rodríguez and Reyes Alpízar
Ortiz
126. It should be recalled that Article 7(2) of the American Convention establishes that “[n]o one
shall be deprived of his physical liberty except for the reasons and under the conditions established
beforehand by the Constitution of the State Party concerned, or by a law established pursuant
thereto.” The Court has held that a State’s Constitution, as well as the laws established “pursuant
thereto,” must be examined to determine whether they are compatible with Article 7(2) of the
American Convention. This entails an analysis of compliance with the requirements established as
precisely as possible and “beforehand” in said laws regarding the “reasons” and “conditions” for
depriving a person of physical liberty. If domestic provisions have not been observed, either
materially or formally, when a person is deprived of his liberty, such deprivation will be unlawful
and contrary to the American Convention, 162 in light of Article 7(2). 163
127. On the other hand, the Court finds that Article 16 of the Mexican Constitution in force at the
time of the arrest of the alleged victims stated that “[t]he authority that executes an arrest warrant
shall place the accused at the disposal of the judge, without delay and under his strictest
responsibility. Failure to comply with this provision shall be punished under criminal law. […]In
cases of flagrante delicto, any person may detain the suspect, placing him immediately at the
disposal of the nearest authority and the latter, with the same promptness, shall bring him before
the Public Prosecutor’s Office.”
128. Similarly, Article 147 of the 2000 Code of Criminal Procedure Code for the state of Mexico
provides that “[w]hen the requirements established in the Constitution of the United Mexican
States are met, the court shall immediately issue the arrest warrant requested by the Public
Prosecutor’s Office against the accused.” Furthermore, Article 142 of said Code refers to flagrante
delicto in the following terms: “Flagrante delicto exists when the person is detained at the moment
of committing the offense, or when the suspect is pursued materially, uninterruptedly and
immediately after the offense has been committed. […] Flagrante delicto is considered to exist
when the person is identified as being responsible by the victim, an eyewitness of the facts, or by
whoever participated with him in the commission of the crime; or when the object, instrument or
product of the crime is found in his possession; or when there are signs or indications that lead to
a well-founded presumption of his participation in the crime; provided that it may constitute a
serious crime, and that a period of seventy-two hours has not elapsed from the time of the
Cf. Case of Chaparro Álvarez and Lapo Íñiguez v. Ecuador. Preliminary objections, merits, reparations and costs.
Judgment of November 21, 2007, Series C No. 170, para. 57; Case of Carranza Alarcón v. Ecuador. Preliminary objections,
merits, reparations and costs. Judgment of February 3, 2020. Series C No. 399, para. 61, and Case of Cortez Espinoza v.
Ecuador. Preliminary objections, merits, reparations and costs. Judgment of October 18, 2022. Series C No. 468, para.
121.
162
163
Cf. Case of Argüelles et al. v. Argentina. Preliminary objections, merits, reparations and costs. Judgment of
November 20, 2014. Series C No. 288, para. 116; Case of Women Victims of Sexual Torture in Atenco v. Mexico. Preliminary
objection, merits, reparations and costs. Judgment of November 28, 2018. Series C No. 371, para. 230, and Case of Cortez
Espinoza v. Ecuador, supra, para. 121.
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