IACHR
Press Release
IACHR Congratulates the State of Mexico on Its Full Compliance with the Friendly Settlement Agreement Signed Regarding Case 12.642, José Iván Correa Arévalo
April 20, 2020
Washington, D.C. - The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) announced its decision to declare full compliance with Friendly Settlement Report No. 90/10 on Case 12.642, José Iván Correa Arévalo, concerning Mexico, which it will cease to monitor.
The case concerns the Mexican state’s international responsibility for the failure to investigate the death of the child José Iván Correa Arévalo, which took place on May 28, 1991, and circumstances that have not yet been clarified. In Admissibility Report No. 83/07, the IACHR concluded that it was competent to hear the case regarding the alleged violations of the rights enshrined in articles 4 (right to life), 8 (right to a fair trial), 17 (protection of the family), 19 (rights of the child), and 25 (right to judicial protection) of the American Convention on Human Rights, in accordance with articles 1.1 (obligation to respect rights) and 2 (domestic legal effect) of the American Convention on Human Rights.
On October 24, 2008, the parties signed a friendly settlement agreement that was approved by the IACHR on July 15, 2010. During the process of verifying that the friendly settlement agreement had been implemented, the IACHR evaluated the actions taken by the Mexican state to comply with the commitments it had taken on in said agreement. It corroborated that the state had officially acknowledged its responsibility; disbursed economic compensation to the victims and their families; provided health coverage to enable the victim’s relatives to receive psychological treatment; implemented the respective social rehabilitation measures, which included incorporating one of the beneficiaries into the Social Housing Program and the Economic Reactivation Program of the State of Chiapas. Likewise, the IACHR verified compliance with the measure concerning the putting up of a plaque to preserve the historic memory of the case and also ascertained that, according to the parties, the petitioner’s request that an investigation be conducted into the murder of José Iván Correa Arévalo had been satisfied.
The IACHR monitored the development of this friendly settlement closely and was extremely appreciative of both parties’ efforts during the negotiation process for the friendly settlement agreement and the subsequent follow-up stage. By virtue of the information provided by the parties during the process of monitoring implementation of the friendly settlement agreement, the IACHR ruled that this had been fully complied with and thus decided to end its monitoring of the compliance process.
A principal, autonomous body of the Organization of American States (OAS), the IACHR derives its mandate from the OAS Charter and the American Convention on Human Rights. The Inter-American Commission has a mandate to promote respect for and to defend human rights in the region and acts as a consultative body to the OAS in this area. The Commission is composed of seven independent members who are elected in an individual capacity by the OAS General Assembly and who do not represent their countries of origin or residence.
No. 082/20