5. On November 2, 1999, the Commission received the petition and assigned it the number
12.2292. On November 8, 1999, the IACHR forwarded the relevant portions of it to the Mexican
State requesting that it submit its response within a period of 90 days. On March 20, 2000, the
State submitted its response, the relevant portions of which were forwarded to the petitioners.
Following the State’s commitment to continue to report on progress in the investigation
pertaining to the death of Mrs. Digna Ochoa, it submitted information on the following dates:
March 18, 2002, April 16, 2002, May 13 and 17, 2002, April 17, 2003, April 21, 2003, July 3,
2003, July 29, 2003, December 8, 2003, August 20, 2004, April 14, 2009, September 9, 2009,
April 8, 2011, January 18, 2013 and July 8, 2013. These communications were duly forwarded
to the petitioners. The IACHR also received information from the petitioners on the following
dates: February 26, 2003, May 27, 2003, October 16, 2003, December 16, 2003, December
16, 2003, August 25, 2005, November 21, 2008, June 22, 2009, July 14, 2009, March 18,
2011, December 9, 2011, January 31, 2012 and May 20, 2013. These communications of the
petitioners were duly forwarded to the Mexican State.
6. Additionally, at the 113th, 114th, 116th, 117th, 118th, and 147th3 sessions of the IACHR held
on November 16, 2001, March 7, 2002, October 18, 2002, February 26, 2003, October 20,
2003 and March 14, 2013, respectively, the IACHR summoned the parties to hearings
pertaining to the instant petition.
7. On September 9, 1999, the Commission requested the State to adopt precautionary
measures to protect the lives and physical integrity of Digna Ochoa y Plácido, Edgar Cortéz
Morales and the staff of the PRODH Center. Subsequent to the granting of the precautionary
measures, it came to the attention of the IACHR, among other situations, that: a) on
September 14, 1999 two envelopes appeared in the main drawer of the receptionist’s desk of
the PRODH Center with new death threats; b) on October 13, 1999 another anonymous
envelope appeared at the PRODH Center containing a bomb threat; c) on October 8, 1999, at
approximately 10:00 P.M., Mrs. Ochoa was abducted from her house and, amidst threats and
assaults, she was interrogated on the activities and personal information of every staff
member of the PRODH Center, being held captive for approximately nine hours until dawn
broke. Her assailants also tied her to her bed, placed an open gas tank beside her and left at
approximately 7:00 AM; Mrs. Ochoa managed to untie herself and later found the briefcase
that had been stolen from her when she was kidnapped on August 9, 1999; and d) on October
29, that same year, when the staff members of PRODH Center came to work in the Center
premises, they found the main door unlocked and several things out of place, such as desks
that looked like they had been riffled through, papers scattered across the floor and a file that
said “Suicidal Power;” the petitioners also informed the Commission that the precautionary
measures adopted by Mexico have not been effective.
8. Based on the foregoing, on November 11, 1999, the Commission submitted a request for
provisional measures to the Inter-American Court of Human Rights on behalf of Digna Ochoa y
Plácido, Edgar Cortéz Morales, Mario Patrón Sánchez and Jorge Fernández Mendiburu. On
November 17, 1999, the Inter-American Court ordered the State of Mexico, among other
operative measures, to:
1. […] adopt, without delay, as many measures as may be necessary to protect
the life and integrity of Digna Ochoa y Plácido, Edgar Cortéz Morales, Mario
Patrón Sánchez and Jorge Fernández Mendiburu, members of the Miguel Agustin
Pro Juarez Human Rights Center.
2. […] adopt, without delay, as many measures as may be necessary to ensure
that the persons who work at or go to the offices of the Miguel Agustín Pro
2
Initially, the petition was filled alleging the violation of several rights provided for in the American Convention on
Human Rights to the detriment of the members of “Miguel Agustín Pro Juárez” Center for Human Rights, particularly,
the alleged threats and harassment perpetrated against Mrs. Digna Ochoa. Following the death of Mrs. Digna Ochoa
the petitioners submitted their arguments as to the death of Mrs. Digna Ochoa y Plácido and the failure to effectively
investigate and elucidate the truth as to this incident as well as the pain suffered by her family members. Therefore,
according to the allegations of the petitioners in their communications the Commission finds that the alleged victims in
the case are Ms. Digna Ochoa and her family members.
3
See hearings (audio and/video) at: http://www.oas.org/es/cidh/audiencias/default.aspx?Lang=es
2