5
21.
On the one hand, we could consider that the phrase mentioned in the
preceding paragraph does not comprise an element of the crime definition, but
rather an explanation or thought of the legislator to recall the aim that the
perpetrators of the crime of forced disappearance had in mind and its normal effects:
avoidance of the ordinary controlling force of justice aimed at providing personal
security. The wording of the paragraph itself leads to the following conclusion:
indeed, the final part of the rule reads: “thereby impeding” and not “in a manner
that impedes,” as it should have read had one more element of the crime definition
been in mind.
22.
On the other hand, if the wording of the Inter-American Convention I am now
analyzing is deemed to refer to an element of the crime definition, that circumstance
would not hinder the criminalization of the conduct of forced disappearance merely
on the grounds that, in theory, the legal remedies and procedural safeguards to
protect personal freedom (the appropriate remedies and safeguards, in a general and
impersonal sense) remain available. Moreover, the crime of forced disappearance
would be committed all the same, even if, hypothetically, it were possible for a third
party to resort to a given remedy. The important thing is to continue allowing
unrestricted and prompt access to remedies and safeguards that effectively ensure
that the violated right is redressed and that the holder of that right is properly
protected. In other words, ―as suggested by the United Nations project― the victim
should not be deprived of legal protection. Obviously, the idea is that the person
should not be deprived of the safeguards that the appropriate legal system should
make available to him or her.
23.
The treatment of this matter is different in all other instruments, which were
also mentioned in the judgment of the Inter-American Court and to which I have
made reference in this Opinion. The final sentence of Article 2 of the aforementioned
UN project is probably more adequate, since the relation established between the
elements of the crime definition is even clearer. It establishes a relation between the
conduct of the agent and its consequences regarding the personal security afforded
the victim under the law: “depriving (the victim) of the protection of the law.”
Moreover, the Statute of the ICC incorporates that aspect as a subjective element of
the crime definition. Indeed, it mentions “the intention” of the perpetrator of
“removing them (the individuals deprived of their freedom) from the protection of
the law for a prolonged period of time.”
24.
This type of considerations, as applied to the instant case, motivated the
Inter-American Court to examine Article 320 of the Criminal Code of Peru. We should
bear in mind that the aforementioned Article punishes “[a] public official or servant
who deprives an individual of his liberty, by ordering or carrying out any act that
results in the individual’s duly proven disappearance, shall be punished by
imprisonment for not less than fifteen years and disqualification from office, pursuant
to Article 36(1) and (2) of the Criminal Code.” This concise wording leaves ample
space for criticism and deserves ―from my point of view, hence this separate
concurring Opinion of mine― a decision such as that rendered by the Court. Let us
see.
25.
Firstly, the reference to the conduct is not consistent with the 1994
Convention and, in any case, it is obscure. Article 320 refers to the ordering or
carrying out of an act, thus involving another issue that should not have been
included in the wording of the crime definition: criminal involvement, either as