González et al. (“Cotton Field”) v. Mexico

Key Judgment

Legal Relevance

Keywords: Systemic Practice | Duty to Investigate | Reparations | Guarantees of Non-Repetition | Obligation to Prevent | Children/Youth

Themes: Memory and Reparations | Persons and Groups Affected | Prevention | Justice and Truth

The Court highlighted that the obligation to conduct an effective investigation is broader in scope in the case of a woman who may have been killed or ill-treated, or whose personal liberty was affected, within a wider context of violence against women. Citing the Minnesota Protocol on the Investigation of Potentially Unlawful Death, the Court referred to the importance of the proper handling and documentation of crime scenes; collection of evidence; recording of the chain of custody; proper undertaking of autopsies; and identification and return of the bodies. Given the serious situation of violence against women in Ciudad Juárez, the Court ordered, amongst other measures, reparations to prevent, document and investigate violence against women. The Court recalled that the State’s obligation to investigate must be complied with diligently to avoid impunity and the repetition of such acts.