judicial

Portugal case deemed landmark

Marcela Martino, a legal expert with the Center for Justice and International Law (CEJIL) called the human rights court’s ruling in favor of murdered political dissident Heliodoro Portugal “a landmark case” for other victims of the military dictatorship.

That judgment, handed down last week by the Corte Interamericana de Derechos Humanos (CIDH), deemed the State responsible for the Portugal’s death in 1970, and awarded his family $190,000 in compensation.

Martino commented that though Panama has been found guilty of human rights violations by the CIDH before, this is the first time that the judgment concerns a crime that occurred while the country was under the control of a military dictatorship. In 2001, CIDH judges convicted 270 public employees of colluding with leaders of a military coup.

“This represents an opportunity for the Panamanian State to assume its responsibility in regard to the victims,” said Martino. “While this is a particular case, it’s paradigmatic for other victims. The State remains indebted [to them].”

Martino urged the CIDH to order that the State allocate necessary resources to ensure that the victims’ families receive the specified compensation and that justice is done in these cases.