5. The Inter-American Commission received the initial petition submitted by the petitioners on October 16, 2002. On November 5, 2003, the IACHR transmitted the pertinent parts of the petition to the State and gave it two months to submit observations. On February 20, 2004, the Inter-American Commission received the State’s response to the petition. 6. The IACHR received additional information from the petitioners on November 14, 2007, April 3, 2008, October 27, 2008, June 10, 2009, and September 3, 2009. It duly forwarded these communications to the State. The Inter-American Commission received additional information from the State regarding the petition on July 23, 2009. That communication was duly transmitted to the petitioners. Precautionary measures 7. On the same date that they submitted the petition, October 16, 2002, the petitioners requested precautionary measures to protect the life and person of the chief of the Xucuru indigenous people, Marcos Luidson de Araújo (“Cacique Marquinhos”) and his mother, Zenilda Maria de Araújo, because both had received several death threats. On October 29, 2002, the IACHR decided to grant precautionary measures on behalf of Cacique Marquinhos and Zenilda Maria de Araújo, and asked the State to take all necessary measures to protect their life and person and to begin immediately a serious and exhaustive investigation of the facts that gave rise to the precautionary measures. During its 117th regular period of sessions, on February 27, 2003 the IACHR held a public hearing on the implementation of these precautionary measures. Subsequently, on March 1, 2004, the IACHR held a working meeting to follow up on these precautionary measures, in the course of its 119th regular period of sessions. 8. The State submitted additional information on the precautionary measures granted by the IACHR on January 23, 2003, February 19, 2003, March 12, 2003, April 1, 2003, and July 15, 2003. Those communications were duly forwarded to the petitioners. The petitioners sent additional information on the situation of the persons covered by the measures on the following dates: November 12, 2002, December 6, 2002, February 4, 2003, February 7, 2003, February 14, 2003, March 21, 2003, April 4, 2003, April 23, 2003, July 22, 2003, and May 21, 2004. These communications were transmitted to the State. 9. Based on information provided by each of the parties, the IACHR decided to extend the precautionary measures in the same terms on 3