CCPR/C/113/D/2054/2011
maintains that the death of the author’s brother cannot be qualified as torture under the
domestic law.
Author’s further comments
7.1
On 22 June 2012, the author submitted that in its observations the State party for the
first time recognized that the inability to find in the locked cell the weapon with which his
brother’s injuries were inflicted might be an indication that the cellmates may be
responsible. He notes that, in contradiction with its reliance on the suicide note, the State
party denies claiming that the death of his brother resulted from a suicide, because the
investigation was still ongoing, six and a half years after the fact. He maintains that none of
the above responds to his submissions and the violations set out in the initial
communication. He reiterates his previous submissions.
7.2
The author submits that the State party accepted the statement of his brother’s
cellmates and the police officers at face value, despite the contradiction with other existing
evidence, which demonstrates the ineffective nature of the investigation. He further
reiterates that the evidence that his brother had been tortured had not been assessed by the
investigating authorities.
7.3
With regard to the State party’s submission that the investigation had been reopened,
the author submits that the investigation cannot result in charges for the torture that his
brother experienced, because under the current legislation the crime of torture can only be
committed by officials. The author also submits that the reopened investigation is unduly
delayed and that there is no indication that it will be more efficient than the previous
investigation. The author maintains that the investigation had been dormant for over five
years since the last known investigative action, namely, the flawed analysis of the cigarette
pack, and its reopening in February 2012, without any details on what steps have been
taken, cannot prevent the Committee from examining the communication.
Issues and proceedings before the Committee
Consideration of admissibility
8.1
Before considering any claim contained in a communication, the Human Rights
Committee must decide, in accordance with rule 93 of its rules of procedure, whether the
communication is admissible under the Optional Protocol to the Covenant.
8.2
The Committee has ascertained, as required under article 5 (2 (a)) of the Optional
Protocol, that the same matter is not being examined under another procedure of
international investigation or settlement.
8.3
The Committee notes the State party’s submission that the investigation into the
death of the author’s brother was reopened in February 2012, as well as the author’s claim
that the investigation has been ineffective and unreasonably prolonged. The Committee
recalls its jurisprudence that, for the purposes of article 5 (2 (b)) of the Optional Protocol,
domestic remedies must both be effective and available, and must not be unduly
prolonged.19 The Committee observes that in the instant case the investigation was
reopened six years after the death of the victim and that, to the Committee’s knowledge,
those proceedings have yet to be finalized. Therefore, the Committee considers that, in the
19
See communication No. 563/1993, Bautista de Arellana v. Colombia, Views adopted on 27 October
1995, para. 5.1, and communication No. 612/1995, Villafañe Chaparro et al. v. Colombia, Views
adopted on 29 July 1997, paras. 5.2, 8.8 and 10.
9