2 c. To adopt, as an essential component of the duty to provide protection, effective measures to investigate the facts that give rise to these measures, so as to identify and punish those acts in accordance with due process. d. To inform the [...] Court within a brief term of the concrete and effective measures taken to protect Liliana Ortega, Yris Medina, Gilda Páez, Maritza Romero, Aura Lizcano, Alicia de González, and Carmen Alicia Mendoza and to subsequently report to the [...] Court every two months on the status of the Provisional Measures. 2. The grounds argued by the Inter-American Commission in its request for Provisional Measures, based on the following facts: a. that the Commission “has noted with great concern a progressive increase in the threats and attacks against the various civil society organizations, which have intensified significantly during [2002]” and that “during the in loco visit, carried out [by the Commission to Venezuela] in [...] the month of May [2002], [it] received information that civil society organizations were suffering harassment;” b. that on April 19, 2002 the Inter-American Commission asked the Venezuelan State to adopt precautionary measures “in favor of Liliana Ortega Mendoza, Yris Medina Cova, Hilda Páez, Maritza Romero, Aura Liscano, Alicia de González, and Carmen Alicia Mendoza, so as to protect their life and their right to humane treatment.” For this reason, it requested that the State: 1. Provide the protection required by Liliana Ortega Mendoza, Yris Medina Cova, Gilda Páez, Maritza Romero, Aura Lizcano, Alicia de González, and Carmen Alicia Mendoza, to safeguard their rights to life and to humane treatment, pursuant to Articles 4 and 5 of the American Convention [on] Human Rights. Also, that it provide protection to the offices of “COFAVIC”. This measure must be adopted in consultation with doctor Liliana Ortega Mendoza, the Executive Director of said organization. 2. Conduct and extensive investigation of the acts of intimidation and threats received by members of the non-governmental organization “COFAVIC” on January 20 and 29, and on April 17 and 18, 2002 [;] c. that said precautionary measures (supra 2.b) were granted due to acts of harassment and direct and indirect threats to COFAVIC members Liliana Ortega, Yris Medina Cova, Hilda Páez (Gilda Páez), Maritza Romero, Aura Liscano (Lizcano), Alicia de González, and Carmen Alicia Mendoza;3 d. that on October 14, 2002 “the Commission agreed to extend the precautionary measures adopted on April 19, 2002 in favor of COFAVIC for another six months, based on [...] new facts” that occurred between the months of May and September, 2002,4 and 3 It its request, the Inter-American Commission referred to several facts, among which they highlighted that “on Tuesday, April 16, COFAVIC was left without electrical power three times [...] and they were therefore completely without communication, as their phone system operates electrically [and] [t]he building where COFAVIC is located was the only one where the power was cut.” They also stated that “after [...] COFAVIC’s phone number appeared on a television program, [...] they received a phone call saying: ‘Tell the doctor to get out of the way because we revolutionaries are willing to do anything, and if it is blood they want, blood will be shed...’” 4 The Inter-American Commission submitted a list of the threats received in each of those months (May through September, 2002) and referred to the threatening phone calls and e-mails, to statements against Liliana Ortega and COFAVIC, to the presence of strange persons outside the offices of COFAVIC, to persons with hostile and threatening attitudes, to insults and harassment, among others.