University of Minnesota




Committee against Torture, Consideration of reports submitted by States Parties under article 19 of the Convention, Argentina, U.N. Doc. CAT/C/55/Add.7 (2002).


[5 July 2002]

______________________

* For the initial report submitted by the Government of Argentina, see CAT/C/5/Add.12(Rev.1) ; for its consideration by the Committee, see CAT/C/SR.30-31 and Official Records of the General Assembly, forty-fifth session, Supplement No. 44 (A/45/44), paras. 150-174.

 For the second periodic report, see CAT/C/17/Add.2 ; for its consideration by the Committee, see CAT/C.SR.122 and 123 and Official Records of the General Assembly, forth-eighth session, Supplement No. 44 (A/48/44), paras. 88 to 115.

 For the third periodic report, see CAT/C/34/ADD.5 ; for its consideration by the Committee, see CAT/C/SR.303 and 304 and Official Records of the General Assembly, fifth-third session, Supplement No. 44 (A/53/44), paras. 52-69.

 The information submitted in accordance with the consolidated guidelines for the initial part of reports of States parties is contained in document HRI/CORE/1/Add.74.

 The annexes to the present report submitted by the Government of Argentina may be consulted in the Secretariat files.

 

 CONTENTS

 Paragraphs   

 

 I. Introduction...........................................................................  1 

 

 II. Part One: Information on new measures and new

 developments relating to the implementation of the

 Convention............................................................................  2 – 562 

 

 Article 2.................................................................................  2 – 34 

 

 Article 3.................................................................................  35 – 43 

 

 Article 4.................................................................................  44 – 45 

 

 Article 5.................................................................................  46 – 84 

 

 Article 6.................................................................................  85 – 97 

 

 Article 7.................................................................................  98 – 99 

 

 Article 8.................................................................................  100 – 103 

 

 Article 9.................................................................................  104 – 118 

 

 Article 10...............................................................................  119 – 208 

 

 Article 11...............................................................................  209 – 336 

 

 Articles 12 and 13..................................................................  337 – 405 

 

 Article 14...............................................................................  406 – 485 

 

 Article 15...............................................................................  486 – 560 

 

 Article 16...............................................................................  561 – 562 

 

 III. Part Two: Additional information requested by the

 Committee.............................................................................  563 – 665 

 

 IV. Part Three: Compliance with the Committee’s conclusions

 and recommendations.............................................................  666 – 689 

 


ANNEXES

 

 I. Act 24.660 on execution of custodial sentences

 II. Act 24.767 on cooperation in criminal matters

 III. Decree 1581/2001 establishing the doctrine to be applied in respect of requests for judicial assistance or extradition submitted by foreign courts

IV. Decree 583/98 granting the extradition and immediate handing over to Croatia of a naturalized Argentine citizen 

Decree 980/98 acceding to a request for the extradition of a Croatian citizen submitted by the Republic of Croatia

 V. Decree 303 approving the new regulations applicable to accused persons housed in

prison units belonging to the Federal Prison Service

 VI. Survey of detention facilities and prisons in the Argentine Republic

VII. Resolution 55/00 of the Procurator-General of the Nation establishing the prison monitoring programme of the Public Attorneys’ Office

VIII. Act 25.434 on powers and duties, and limitations thereto, of officials of the police or security forces

IX. Report of the Office of the Government Procurator for the Prison System on the situation of prison establishments

 X. Information on cases relating to the province of Córdoba

XI. Act 25.430. Amendment of provisions on maximum duration of pre-trial imprisonment

XII. Statistical data on offences committed, compiled by the Office of the Procurator-General of the Nation on the basis of information supplied by various

prosecutors’ offices

XIII. Systematic review, prepared by the Office of the Procurator-General of the Nation, of cases detected, by police unit involved

XIV. Plan for a study on torture to be conducted by the Federal Human Rights Council

XV. Cases brought before the judiciary of the province of Mendoza

XVI. Cases brought before the judiciary of the province of San Juan

XVII. Cases brought before the judiciary of the province of San Juan

XVIII. Cases brought before the police of the province of Chubut

XIX. Cases brought before the judiciary of the province of Entre Ríos

XX. Cases brought before the judiciary of the province of Salta

XXI. Decisions of principle and resolutions of the Office of the President of the Supreme Court of Justice of the province of Buenos Aires

 


I. INTRODUCTION

 

1. This report has been prepared in accordance with the general guidelines regarding the form and contents of periodic reports to be submitted by States Parties, adopted by the Committee at its 85th meeting (sixth session) on 30 April 1991 and revised at its 318th meeting (twentieth session) on 18 May 1998 (CAT/C/14/Rev.1).

 II. PART ONE: INFORMATION ON NEW MEASURES

AND NEW DEVELOPMENTS RELATING TO THE

IMPLEMENTATION OF THE CONVENTION

 

Article 2

 

2. With regard to the constitutional provisions that grant recognition to the rights protected by the Convention Against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment, and without prejudice to the information already provided in the core document of the Argentine Republic (HRI/CORE/1/Add.74), it is important to note that article 75, paragraph 22 of the amended Constitution of 1994 gave treaties precedence over laws and conferred constitutional rank on 11 human rights instruments, including the Convention. Under the amended Constitution the Convention enjoys constitutional rank, does not rescind any article of Part One of the Constitution, and must be considered as complementing the rights and guarantees recognized by that instrument. The wording of article 75, over and beyond what is expressly recognized by the national courts and the Supreme Court of Justice of the Nation, indicates with absolute clarity the possibility of its being invoked before the judicial authorities of the Republic.

 

3. In the judgment handed down in April 1995 in the appeal case of Giroldi, Horacio David and others the Supreme Court of Justice of the Nation stated as follows:

 

 That the constitutional rank enjoyed, as already stated, by the American Convention on Human Rights has been established by the express wish of the constituent organ, under the conditions of its applicability (art. 75, paragraph 22.2), i.e. inasmuch as the said Convention is effectively in force at the international level and with particular regard to its effective application through case law by the competent international courts for its interpretation and enforcement.

 

 It follows therefrom that the afore-mentioned case law must serve as a guide for the interpretation of the provisions of the Convention to the extent that the Argentine State has recognized the competence of the Inter‑American Court to exercise jurisdiction in all cases relating to the interpretation and application of the American Convention.

 Consequently, this Court, as the supreme organ of one of the branches of the federal Government, is responsible so far as its jurisdiction extends for applying the international treaties to which the country has adhered on the terms set forth above, since otherwise the responsibility might fall upon the nation vis-à-vis the international community.

 

 [...]

 

 That is follows from the above that the solution hereby adopted will make it possible, from the viewpoint of the guarantees to be provided in criminal procedure, to honour to the full the commitments entered into in regard to human rights by the national State.

 

4. In this connection, in accordance with the doctrine set out in the decision of the Inter-American Court of Human Rights in the Barrios Altos case, it must be recalled that "the origin of the international responsibility of the State may rest on any act or omission of any of the powers or agents of the State (whether of the Executive, or of the Legislative, or of the Judiciary)". [1]