Argentina: IACHR Welcomes Full Compliance with Case 12.159, Gabriel Egisto Santillán

June 29, 2023

Washington, D.C.—The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) announced its decision to declare full compliance with Friendly Settlement Report No. 79/09, concerning case 12.159, Gabriel Egisto Santillán, which it will cease to monitor. The case concerns the Argentinian State's international responsibility for the death of Gabriel E. Santillán on December 8, 1991, and the failure to effectively investigate this death and punish those responsible for it.

Gabriel E. Santillán died at the age of 15 after being hit by a bullet on December 3, 1991, when members of the Buenos Aires Province Police Force were pursuing unidentified individuals accused of stealing a vehicle.

On May 28, 2008, the parties signed a friendly settlement agreement that was approved by the IACHR on August 6, 2009. During the process of verifying the implementation of the agreement, the IACHR evaluated the actions taken by the Argentinian State to comply with the commitments it had taken on. It corroborated that the State had published the friendly settlement agreement and had paid financial compensation, as agreed in the arbitration award, and that Buenos Aires Province had reported on the status of the case files, which were located in public offices under the province"s jurisdiction.

One of the most noteworthy impacts of the agreement was the series of regional meetings that were organized, entitled "The Relationship Between the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the International Recommendations of the Third Cycle of the Universal Periodic Review (UPR)." The aim of these meetings was to publicize the recommendations made by treaty bodies and the UPR. They also sought to raise awareness of the need to bring a more federal perspective to the organization's country reports.

The IACHR monitored the friendly settlement process closely and valued both parties' efforts during the negotiation and follow-up stage. By virtue of the information provided by the parties, the IACHR ruled that the agreement had been fully complied with and thus decided to end its monitoring of the compliance process.

The IACHR applauded the Argentinian State's efforts to reach solutions using the individual petition and case system, through the friendly settlement mechanism, and congratulated it on having fully implemented this agreement. It also wishes to congratulate the petitioning party on the efforts it made to take part in the negotiation and move the friendly settlement process forward.

To consult the technical data sheet for the case, please click here.

The IACHR is a principal and autonomous body of the Organization of American States (OAS), whose mandate stems from the OAS Charter and the American Convention on Human Rights. The Inter-American Commission has the mandate to promote the observance and defense of human rights in the region and acts as an advisory body to the OAS on the matter. The IACHR is made up of seven independent members who are elected by the OAS General Assembly in their personal capacity, and do not represent their countries of origin or residence.

No. 142/23

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