Wednesday, 28 July 2010 07:56

The presentation in court said that the fighting and other animal shows are traditions in Colombia and should be maintained. That says a report by the Constitutional Court to keep alive those shows legal. According to the paper, they represent a "strong tradition and respected" in Colombia and therefore must be maintained even though they can be cruel. The author of this report is Judge Humberto Sierra Porto, who was in charge of the first review to the arguments of the case against the constitutionality.

... Of the rule excluding the coleus, the corralejas, bullfights, calves and cockfighting a list of cruel penalized for Animal Protection Status.



The paper, known as El Tiempo, Sierra Porto asks the Court to endorse these shows and not declare them as acts of cruelty, as though abuse is being carried out in a living being are supported by a tradition rooted in the culture the country.


In these cases, the judge said Smith, the principle of cultural diversity prevails and undertakes to maintain the exception in the law. In this coincides with the opinion of the Attorney Alejandro Ordonez, who has described concepts such shows as "cultural and artistic expressions that identify the Colombian (...) which makes tolerable the suffering that the animals are subjected."


This is the second lawsuit on the same subject that studies the court in less than a year, and this time decide on the merits of the case, probably next week.


The plaintiffs insist that the shows violated the right to a healthy social and cultural environment, undermine peace and coexistence and violate the free development of personality of those who reject them. Appeal, even to Article 12 of the Constitution and claim that no animals or humans should be subjected to degrading treatment.


So far, two judges fully support the presentation of Sierra and another claims that the suit was groundless and that therefore the Court should not rule. Three others are in favor of the application. And there are two associate judges who will, eventually, those who decide where the balance tilts.


They are replacements Mauricio Gonzalez Cuervo (president of the corporation) and Jorge Pretelt. The first was on an official mission outside the country and the second had health problems, so that lawyers Diego López and Gustavo Cuello took their place in the debate.


According to the Rules of Court to approve a fault must have a minimum majority of five votes and the judges who did not participate in a voting session were excluded from the debate.


Next week the discussion resumed. The three judges who are opposed to the presentation to say cruel, there can be exceptions.


Those who support the position of Sierra Porto argue that events such as bullfighting is not only a cultural expression, but each person is free to attend or not these shows, so it does not affect the rights of anyone in particular.


They remember that the same thesis was the soul of a ruling in which the same court declared the law constitutional regulation of taurine.


Weather learned that gaining strength is proposing to designate a block that constitutional standard, but the condition that Congress regulate these events and minimize the acts of cruelty to animals.


One of the examples is to look at Portugal, where the bull disappeared from the animal's death, the flags and the punishment with the pike.


In October last year, the Court reviewed a similar claim, but on that occasion stated inhibited to decide on it by technical legal problems in the application.



JUSTICE EDITOR