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1996 es contrario a esta salvaguardia y configura una situación de indefensión. Sostuvo que en la Ley 1996 “no había realmente salvaguardias adecuadas efectivas que impidieron el abuso de estas personas en situación de discapacidad mayores de edad”.7 Para explicar este punto, citó el artículo 5 de la Ley 1996 el cual consagra los “criterios para establecer salvaguardias” y resaltó la palabra “apoyos” de toda la disposición. Al respecto, resaltó que la ley habla de salvaguardias y sus criterios, pero en sentido amplio y general sin definir con certeza cuáles son estas medidas concretamente. Argumentó que el artículo 5 de la Ley “es el único que menciona superfluamente la institución de la salvaguardia, incurre en un error manifiesto de pretender equiparar salvaguardia con apoyo. No, son dos instituciones diversas con fines diferentes. Así se puede establecer del análisis del artículo 12 de la Convención sobre los derechos de las personas con discapacidad”.8 Con fundamento en lo anterior, el actor explicó que la interdicción es una salvaguardia efectiva que la Ley elimina del ordenamiento jurídico, afectando el ejercicio de los derechos de las personas en condiciones de discapacidad. En sus palabras mencionó que “las personas interdictas o inhábiles, en el evento de que el guardador vaya en contra vía de sus intereses económicos y su voluntad real, se suspende el término de prescripción para exigir el derecho transgredido, brindando una garantía jurídica que permite salvaguardar de cualquier abuso, de persona extraña (tercero) o cercana (guardados conforme a la Ley 1306) el cual pretenda ser avivato, ligero, oscuro, ruin o malévolo con la persona en situación de discapacidad mayor de edad”.9 El actor explicó este argumento citando el artículo 2530 del Código Civil que dispone la “suspensión de la prescripción ordinaria”. Finalmente manifestó que la interdicción es una medida que podría haber sido considerada como complementaria a los “apoyos” y “salvaguardias” de la nueva ley, pero el legislador la derogó por completo: “En este sentido negociar con una persona en situación de discapacidad mayor de edad con la garantía y salvaguardia de la interdicción supone una protección y blindaje jurídico frente a los sujetos con los que entable una relación jurídica o económica y tal garantía consistirá en la suspensión del tiempo de prescripción a favor del interdicto y/o inhábil, garantizando que en cualquier momento, en el evento de ser defraudado, podrá perseguir a 7 Expediente de inconstitucionalidad, folio 136. 8 Expediente de inconstitucionalidad, folio 136 (reverso). 9 Expediente de inconstitucionalidad, folio 137. 13

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Sentencia C-025/21

Judgment

Question Presented: Whether Article 6 of Law 1996 of 2019, which establishes the presumption of full legal capacity for all persons with disabilities regardless of whether they use supports, is constitutional; whether Article 53 of Law 1996 of 2019, which repealed all provisions related to interdiction and inhabilitation in the Colombian legal system, is constitutional; and whether the shift from a substitute decision-making model (guardianship/interdiction) to a supported decision-making model is consistent with the Colombian Constitution and Colombia's international obligations under the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD), ratified by Colombia via Act 1346 of 2009.

Alleged Acts: Law 1996 of 2019 was enacted to reform Colombia's legal capacity regime for persons with disabilities. The law eliminated the civil law mechanisms of "interdiction" (interdicción) and "inhabilitation" (inhabilitación) — forms of guardianship that historically stripped persons with disabilities of their legal capacity, including the right to vote, enter contracts, exercise parental authority, and participate in public life. Under the old regime, a judicial declaration of interdiction resulted in the automatic loss of legal capacity and civil rights, including political rights. Law 1996 of 2019 replaced this substitute decision-making model with a supported decision-making framework, establishing a legal presumption of full capacity for all persons with disabilities and creating mechanisms for "support agreements" (acuerdos de apoyos) and judicial adjudication of supports (adjudicación judicial de apoyos). Several citizens filed constitutional challenges (demandas de inconstitucionalidad) against various articles of Law 1996 of 2019, arguing that the elimination of interdiction and the presumption of full legal capacity for persons with disabilities was unconstitutional. The challengers contended that removing the traditional guardianship framework left vulnerable individuals without adequate protection and that the presumption of capacity could expose persons with disabilities to exploitation or harm.

Procedural history: The constitutional challenges were filed with the Colombian Constitutional Court, which has exclusive jurisdiction over abstract constitutional review of legislation. A companion decision, Sentencia C-022/21 (February 4, 2021), addressed a preliminary procedural challenge regarding whether Law 1996 of 2019 should have been enacted as a statutory law (ley estatutaria) requiring special procedural requirements, rather than an ordinary law. The Constitutional Court resolved that procedural issue, allowing the substantive review to proceed in Sentencia C-025/21.

Summary: Sentencia C-025/21 is a landmark Colombian Constitutional Court decision that upheld the constitutionality of Law 1996 of 2019, which abolished the centuries-old interdiction (guardianship) regime and replaced it with a modern supported decision-making framework. The Court ruled that the presumption of full legal capacity for all persons with disabilities is constitutional, that the prior interdiction system violated human rights — including the right to vote — and that even persons with severe intellectual disabilities must be provided with all reasonable accommodations to express their will and preferences. This ruling aligns Colombian law with the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) and represents one of the most significant constitutional reforms in Latin America regarding the legal capacity and political rights of persons with disabilities. The decision is particularly significant for disability voting rights because it eliminates the legal framework that automatically disenfranchised persons under guardianship and establishes an affirmative constitutional obligation to provide accommodations to facilitate political participation.

Conclusion: The Constitutional Court declared Articles 6 and 53 of Law 1996 of 2019 constitutional (exequible). The Court inhibited itself from ruling on certain other challenged articles but addressed the core provisions. The Court held that Article 6, establishing the presumption of full legal capacity for all persons with disabilities, is consistent with the Constitution's principles and with the provisions of Act 1346 of 2009 (CRPD). The Court affirmed that persons with disabilities are subjects of rights with full legal capacity on equal terms with others. The Court concluded that the prior interdiction regime violated the human rights of persons with disabilities. The denial of legal capacity prevented persons with disabilities from accessing other fundamental rights, including the right to vote, parental authority, and contractual autonomy. As stated in the Court's reasoning: "La negación de la capacidad jurídica de las personas con discapacidad les impide acceder a otros derechos, como el voto, la patria potestad..." (The denial of legal capacity prevents persons with disabilities from accessing other rights, such as voting, parental authority...). The Court declared Article 53 constitutional, affirming that the repeal of all interdiction and inhabilitation mechanisms was a necessary step to comply with Colombia's constitutional and international human rights obligations. The law expressly ordered the repeal of all mechanisms that substitute the legal capacity of persons with disabilities. The Court established that the presumption of legal capacity has a material effect requiring accommodations. As stated: "El efecto de la presunción del ejercicio de la capacidad legal se materializa en que, aún en un caso en el que la persona tiene una discapacidad intelectual y que se encuentra imposibilitada para manifestar su voluntad, debe garantizarse por todos los medios y los ajustes razonables que requiera, la manifestación de su voluntad y preferencias." (The effect of the presumption of the exercise of legal capacity materializes in that, even in a case where the person has an intellectual disability and is unable to manifest their will, their will and preferences must be guaranteed through all means and reasonable adjustments required.). The Court concluded that the recognition of legal capacity for adult persons with disabilities, provided they are given appropriate support and information, is in accordance with the Constitution's principles and with the provisions of Act 1346 of 2009 (approval of the CRPD). The law aligns Colombian jurisprudence with Article 12 of the CRPD, which requires states to recognize persons with disabilities as persons before the law with equal legal capacity in all aspects of life.

Legal Issue(s)

Accessibility
Voters' Rights

Applicable Law(s): Law 1996 of 2019, Colombia Constitution, Act 1346 of 2019, and the Convention on the Right of Disabled Persons

Region: Americas

Country: Colombia

Language of Decision

Spanish

Court: Constitutional Court

Election Type: General

Date of decision: Feb 4, 2021

Geolocation

Latitude: 4.599

Longitude: -74.0755

: Geolocation

Link: https://www.corteconstitucional.gov.co/relatoria/2021/c-025-21.htm

Primary Documents

C-025-21.pdf
Spanish
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