3
Penacho Vaca, Pedro Percy González Monasterio and others, is in the phase of legal
debate and two of the accused are in preventive detention. In accordance with the
State's report, said proceeding is being tried by the Fourth Court in Civil and
Commercial Matters, since the judges of the First and Third Courts in Civil and
Commercial Matters excused themselves from hearing the case. According to the
State, the Judge sitting on the First Court in Civil and Commercial Matters would
have excused himself from hearing the case due to the fact that he was
“continuously insulted, orally and in writing, by the [plaintiff] Rebeca Ibsen during
the process.” Furthermore, the State noted that many of the “hearings convened to
carry out the debates were suspended due to the absence of said plaintiff" Rebeca
Ibsen. The State requested the Court to be aware of the situations that delay the
progress of the proceedings "for reasons attributable to the plaintiff and not to the
judicial authorities." It was also submitted, annexed to the State’s report, a copy of
the Official Gazzete Nº. 2854, whereby Act Nº 3326 that classifies the crime of
forced disappearance, was published.
8.
The brief of October 13, 2006, whereby the representatives of the victim’s
next of kin (hereinafter, the “representatives”) submitted their observations to the
information provided by State. In such respect, they noted that the State has failed
to provide the minimum information regarding the measures adopted to identify the
mortal rests of José Carlos Trujillo Oroza. By virtue of the silence of the State, the
representatives believed that “up to the moment, there has been no specific progress
made in order to fulfill the measure of reparation.” Furthermore, they expressed
that “the information submitted by the State is partial and does not allow
reconstructing the progress made in the case at hand and let alone, the lines of
investigations that are under the charge of the judicial authorities." Likewise, the
representatives shown their concern regarding the fact that the proceeding is still
being tried by a Civil Court instead of a Criminal Court.
Furthermore, the
representatives pointed out that the State has complied with the obligation to
include, in the domestic criminal system, the crime of forced disappearance of
people.
Based on the foregoing, the representatives requested the Tribunal to order
the State to expedite the measures in order to promptly identify the mortal remains
of José Carlos Trujillo. To such end, the representatives pointed out that the State
should provide relevant information about the measures adopted and order that the
Consejo Interinstitucional para el Esclarecimiento de Desapariciones Forzadas
[Interinstitutional Council for the Elucidation on the Forced Disappearance of People]
(hereinafter, “Consejo Interinstitucional”) or the Attorney General (Office of the
Public Prosecutor) organize a research team and adopt a working plan that includes a
schedule for burials in which the location of the mortal remains of the victim has
priority. Furthermore, they requested to order the State guarantee progress in the
investigation in order to identify and, if applicable, punish the responsible of the
forced disappearance of José Carlos Trujillo Oroza and to such end, to necessarily
appoint a judge in criminal matters and a Special State’s Attorney who will ensure
impartiality and expedition of the criminal proceedings.