38
in their investigations into crimes of terrorism have the effect of severely restricting fundamental rights and the
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civilian officials’ authorities to control police activity.
167.
following:
In its Second Report on the Situation of Human Rights in Peru, the Commission observed the
The suspension of some of the attributes of the right to personal liberty, authorized by Article 27 of the
American Convention for certain cases, is not absolute. There are principles underlying every democratic
society that the security forces must observe in order to make a lawful arrest, even under a state of
emergency. The legal conditions for an arrest are obligations that the state authorities must respect,
pursuant to the international commitment to protect and respect human rights, acquired under the
Convention.
In addition, based on the foregoing principles, the police or military detention, as a precautionary measure,
should have as its sole purpose preventing the flight of a person suspected of a criminal act, and thereby
ensuring his or her appearance before a competent judge, to be judged within a reasonable term or, as the
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case may be, released.(…).
168.
On the question of the length of the detention, the Commission observes that while Article 27 of
the American Convention allows certain aspects of the right to personal liberty to be suspended in a state of
emergency and permits the State to hold individuals in preventive detention for longer periods than would be
allowed under normal circumstances, in order to adopt this measure the State must show that the prolonged
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detention is strictly necessary given the state of emergency.
169.
Therefore, based on the facts established and following the above reasoning, the Commission
concludes that Mr. Galindo was not arrested in flagrante and no warrant had been issued by a competent judge
ordering his arrest; instead, he was detained solely as part of a terrorism investigation and held for 31 days in a
facility not authorized by law for detentions; his detention exceeded the legal and reasonable limit that the law
established. Furthermore, the Huánuco-Pasco Superior Court was not advised of his legal situation despite the fact
that such notice is required by law. Therefore, the State of Peru violated articles 7(1), 7(2) and 7(3) of the
Convention, read in conjunction with articles 1(1) and 2 thereof, to the detriment of Luis Antonio Galindo
Cárdenas.
Article 7(4) of the American Convention, read in conjunction with articles 8(2)(b), 8(2)(c) and 2 thereof
170.
The Court has written that under Article 7(4) of the American Convention, the information about
the “motives and reasons” for a detention is to be provided at the time the detention is made, as a means of
avoiding unlawful or arbitrary detentions from the very moment that the person is deprived of his liberty; it also
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serves to ensure the individual’s right of defense.
The Court has also held that the arresting officer must, in
simple language, free of technicisms, explain the essential legal grounds and facts on which the arrest is based.
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Annual Report of the IACHR 1993, OEA/Ser.L/V/II.85, Doc. 8 rev. 11 February 1994, Chapter IV: Status of human rights in several
countries, Peru.
127
IACHR, Second Report on the Situation of Human Rights in Peru, OEA/Ser.L/V/II.106, Doc. 59 rev., June 2, 2000, CHAPTER II.
ADMINISTRATION OF JUSTICE AND RULE OF LAW, paragraphs 85 and 86, available at: PACION DE JUSTICIA Y ESTADO DE DERECHO, paragraphs
85 and 86, available at: http://www.cidh.org/countryrep/Peru2000en/TOC.htm.
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See IACHR, Report on Terrorism and Human Rights, OEA/SER.L/V/II.116, Doc. 5 rev. 1, corr., October 22, 2002. Paragraphs 139
and 140.
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I/A Court H.R., Case of Cabrera García and Montiel Flores v. Mexico. Preliminary Objection, Merits, Reparations and Costs.
Judgment of November 26, 2010. Series C No. 220. Paragraph 105. Citing Case of Juan Humberto Sánchez v. Honduras. Judgment of June 7,
2003. Series C No. 99. Paragraph 82; and Case of Yvon Neptune v. Haiti. Merits, Reparations and Costs. Judgment of May 6, 2008. Series C No.
180. Paragraph 107.