4 It is not up to the Inter-American Commission nor the International experts to determine the circumstances in which attorney Digna Ochoa died, nor to identify or try those who may be responsible, which are tasks exclusively of the responsibility of the Mexican authorities. 13. The mission visited Mexico City from January 11 until January 24, 2003 to perform the task entrusted to it. 5 On June 16, 2003, the IACHR forwarded to the petitioners and the State the “Report of verification of the technical evidence in the criminal investigation into the death of Digna Ochoa y Plácido, conducted by the Office of the Special Prosecuting Attorney of the Office of the Attorney General of the Federal District of Mexico” prepared and submitted by the international verification mission. III. POSITION OF THE PARTIES A. The petitioners Petitioners claim that Mrs. Digna Ochoa y Plácido was an accomplished human rights defender whose work had garnered her several national and international awards. They note that she was linked to the PRODH Center where she took part in defending cases of national consequence such as the massacre of “Aguas Blancas;” the “Massacre of Acteal” and the case of the human rights violations of ecologists Teodoro Cabrera and Rodolfo Montiel in the Sierra of Petatlán, Guerrero. 14. They assert that on August 9, 1999, Mrs. Digna Ochoa was kidnapped for a short time by unidentified individuals, who stole several personal items of hers. They contend that on September 3, 1999, written threats were sent to the PRODH Center and addressed to the staff of the Center. They claim that one of the threatening letters was written on one of Mrs. Digna Ochoa’s own personal calling cards that had been unlawfully taken from her when she was kidnapped. They note that the foregoing events prompted the IACHR to issue precautionary measures on behalf of Mrs. Digna Ochoa and other staff members of the PRODH Center. 15. The petitioners claim that during September and October 1999, staff members of the PRODH Center received threatening letters and Mrs. Ochoa found a voter identification card at her residence that had been unlawfully taken from her during the kidnapping. They contend that on October 13, 1999, an anonymous message containing a bomb threat appeared at the PRODH Center. They further note that on October 28, 1999, Mrs. Ochoa was held for a few hours by unidentified individuals at her own residence, blindfolded, tied to her bed with an open gas tank left by her side. The petitioners allege that the day after this incident, members of the PRODH Center found a file in the office that said “Suicidal Power.” They note that, as a result of the aforementioned incidents, the IACHR requested the InterAmerican Court to order provisional measures on behalf of Mrs. Digna Ochoa and several staff members of the PRODH Center, which were issued under a decision on November 17, 1999 and remained in force until August 28, 2001. 16. They state that, on October 19, 2001, Mrs. Digna Ochoa y Plácido was found dead in her office. They note that it was established in the investigation report on the removal of the body that the body presented bruising injuries from fire arm projectile shots in the left temporal region, on the anteriorinternal face of the left thigh and on the posterior face of the left thigh. It further stated that the body of 17. The IACHR appointed Dr. Pedro Díaz Romero, international consultant of the Inter-American Commission and Coordinator of the Group of Experts; Mr. Alan John Voth, expert in ballistics of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police; and Dr. Maria Dolores Morcillo Méndez, specialist in forensic medicine at the National Institute of Forensic Medicine of Colombia. 5