INTER - AMERICAN COMMISSION ON HUMAN RIGHTS COMISION INTERAMERICANA DE DERECHOS HUMANOS COMISSÃO INTERAMERICANA DE DIREITOS HUMANOS COMMISSION INTERAMÉRICAINE DES DROITS DE L'HOMME ORGANIZACIÓN DE LOS ESTADOS AMERICANOS WASHINGTON, D.C. 2 0 0 0 6 EEUU March 2, 2011 Ref.: Case No. 12.658 Luís Gonzalo “Richard” Vélez Restrepo and family Colombia Mr. Secretary: I am pleased to address you on behalf of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights in order to file Case No. 12.658, Luís Gonzalo “Richard” Vélez Restrepo and Family v. the State of Colombia (hereinafter “the State,” “the Colombian State” or “Colombia”), before the jurisdiction of the Honorable Inter-American Court of Human Rights. The case refers to the attack by soldiers of the Colombian national army upon the journalist Luis Gonzalo “Richard” Vélez Restrepo on August 29, 1996, while he was filming a demonstration, in which that institution’s soldiers beat several of the demonstrators, facts documented by journalist. These events were followed by death threats against journalist Richard Vélez and his family, threats which intensified when Mr. Velez tried to boost the judicial proceedings against his aggressors, and which caused his attempted abduction. Because of this, on October 9, 1997, Mr. Vélez was exiled from Colombia. Currently, Richard Vélez may not exercise his profession as journalist. The State of Colombia ratified the American Convention on Human Rights (hereinafter “the American Convention” or “the ACHR”) on July 31, 1973, and accepted the contentious jurisdiction of the Court on June 21, 1985. The Commission has designated Commissioner María Silvia Guillén Cardona, Executive Secretary of the IACHR, Santiago A. Canton, and the Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Expression, Catalina Botero, as its delegates. Likewise, Elizabeth Abi-Mershed, Deputy Executive Secretary, and Silvia Serrano Guzmán and Michael Camilleri, will serve as legal advisors. In accordance with Article 35 of the Rules of Procedure of the Inter-American Court, the Commission is enclosing with this communication a copy of Report 136/10 prepared in accordance with Article 50 of the American Convention, as well as a copy of the entire file before the Inter-American Commission (Appendix I) and the annexes used in drafting Report 136/10 (Annexes). Said merits report was notified to the Colombian State by means of communication of December 2, 2010, granting it a two-month term to inform on the implementation of the recommendations. The State requested an extension to provide such information and the Commission granted a three week extension until February 22, 2011. The State submitted its respective report and requested that the Commission issue a report in accordance with article 51 of the Convention. Mr. Pablo Saavedra Alessandri, Secretary Inter-American Court of Human Rights P.O. Box 6906-1000