Arévalo Pérez v. Colombia
Key Judgment
Legal Relevance
Keywords: Evidence | Duty to Investigate
Themes: Characteristics of the Crime
The Committee found that the victims’ family received indications that their sons had been arrested by state agents and there was no indication that the disappearance was caused by persons other than Government officials. For these reasons, it found the right to life and the right to liberty and security of the person were not protected by the state.
Judgment Date
November 3, 1989
Country
Colombia
Judicial Body
Human Rights Committee
Articles violated
Article 6 [ICCPR], Article 9 [ICCPR]
Articles not violated / not dealt with
Article 2 [ICCPR], Article 7 [ICCPR], Article 10 [ICCPR]
Facts of the Case
Brothers Mr. Alfredo Rafael and Mr. Samuel Humberto Sanjuán Arévalo, both students, left the family home in Bogota, Colombia, on 8 March 1982. Their whereabouts had been unknown ever since. The victims’ family claimed that their home had been watched by armed individuals carrying walkie-talkies who had inquired about the activities of their family. They had identified themselves as agents of the "F2" – a section of the Colombian police forces.