158. Based on the above, taking into account the application of the death penalty as a
consequence of the concept of “future dangerousness” of the agent, this Court concludes that
the State is internationally responsible for the violation of the rights recognized in Articles 4(2)
and 9 of the American Convention, in relation to articles 1(1) and 2 of the Convention, to the
detriment of Tirso Román Valenzuela Ávila. In addition, this Court considers that in this case
the State is not responsible for the violation of Articles 4(1) and 4(6) of the American
Convention.
VIII-3
RIGHT TO LIFE, REGARDING THE DEATH
MR. VALENZUELA ÁVILA126
A.
Arguments of the Commission and the Parties
159. The Commission argued that the State had extrajudicially executed Mr. Tirso Román
Valenzuela on December 8, 2006, as part of a plan to recapture the prisoners. It concluded
that the State violated Article 4(1) of the Convention, in relation to Article 1(1) of the same
instrument.
160. The representatives argued that the State is responsible for having arbitrarily
deprived Mr. Valenzuela Ávila of his life, in violation of Article 4(1) of the Convention, in relation
to Article 1(1) of the same instrument.
161. The State argued that the situation regarding the death of the alleged victim is still
under investigation and has not been resolved because it has not been possible to establish
or verify the elements of an extrajudicial execution due to the complexities that the case has
presented. Consequently, the State considered that Article 4(1) of the Convention was not
violated, in relation to Article 1(1) of the same instrument.
B. Considerations of the Court
162. This Court notes that both the Commission and the representatives argued that Mr.
Valenzuela had been extrajudicially executed. Therefore, they concluded that Guatemala
violated Article 4(1) of the American Convention, in relation to Article 1(1) thereof. The State,
however, indicated that it has not yet been possible to establish the elements of an
extrajudicial execution due to the complexities that arise in the case, which is still being
investigated at the domestic level.
163. In cases such as this one, where there is no direct evidence of the actions of state
agents, the Court has highlighted that the use of circumstantial evidence and presumptions
as basis of a judgment is legitimate, provided that they infer consistent conclusions about the
facts.127 In this regard, this Court has indicated that, in principle, the burden of proof of the
facts on which its argument is based corresponds to the complainant. However, it has stressed
that, in proceedings involving human rights violations, the State cannot rely on the defense
126
Article 4 of the American Convention.
Cf. Case of Velásquez Rodríguez v. Honduras, supra, para. 135, and Case of Arrom Suhurt et al. v.
Paraguay, supra, para. 95.
127
40