4 In addition, the Commission wishes to emphasize that this case involves issues of inter-American public interest. As established throughout the merits report, on August 29, 1996, the journalist Luis Gonzalo “Richard” Vélez Restrepo was the victim of an attack by members of the Colombian national army, who realized that he had filmed them beating defenseless people in the midst of a public demonstration. As a result of this attack, Mr. Vélez suffered serious injuries with negative effects on his family and professional life. Following the attack, and as a result of their quest for justice, Richard Vélez and his family suffered a series of harassment and death threats, also attributable to agents of the State, which culminated in the attempted abduction of Mr. Vélez on October 6, 1997. On October 9, 1997, Richard Vélez was forced out of Colombia as a result of the risk on his life, and he and his family remain exiled to the present day. The attack of 29 August 1996 and the subsequent harassment against Luis Gonzalo "Richard" Vélez Restrepo and his family remain in impunity, because the State has not carried out serious and effective investigations to identify those responsible and, where appropriate, impose corresponding sanctions. One of the processes involved military criminal jurisdiction. This case reflects various factors of impunity, which had effects in the case, and has implications of a more general application with respect to the duty of the State to pursue, investigate and, where necessary, punish violations of human rights. The attack suffered by Luis Gonzalo “Richard” Vélez Restrepo and the subsequent harassment against him, both motivated by his determination to document and denounce the abuses of the Colombian armed forces, not only violated the rights to personal integrity and freedom of thought and expression of Richard Vélez, but also had a chilling effect on other journalists and Colombian society in general. As a result of the above, the IACHR’s offers the following expert declarations in accordance with Article 35(1)(f) of the Rules of Procedure of the Inter-American Court: a. Robin Kirk, who will testify on the context of risk for those who, at the time of the facts of this case, denounced or documented violations of human rights by the Colombian Armed Forces. b. Ana María Díaz, who will testify on violence against journalists, defenders of human rights and other similar players in Colombia by members of the security forces during the time of the facts; the existence of effective mechanisms of protection for these people; and the conditions to investigate and prosecute attacks against them, including the role of the Military Criminal Jurisdiction. The currícula vitae of the experts proposed by the Inter-American Commission are attached. Finally, according to the information available to the IACHR, the representative of the victims in the filing of the case before the Inter-American Court is Arturo J. Carrillo. The contact information is: Arturo J. Carrillo Director, International Human Rights Clinic The George Washington University Law School xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx Washington, DC 20052 USA xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx Please accept renewed assurances of my highest regards.