3 5. The brief of October 31, 2008, whereby the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (hereinafter “the Commission” or “the Inter-American Commission”) submitted its observations on the State’s report. 6. The Order of the President of the Court of December 3, 2008, whereby she decided to summon the parties to a private hearing in order to receive information on compliance with the Judgment delivered in the instant case. 7. The private hearing held on January 20, 2009 at the seat of the Court.1 At said hearing, the Vice-President of the Court, Judge Diego García-Sayán, informed the State that it had a thirty-day term, that is, until February 21, 2009, to submit a written report regarding progress in compliance with the measures ordered and with the points that had been the object of the private hearing. Furthermore, he informed the representatives and the Inter-American Commission that they would have an additional term to submit their observations on the State’s report. 8. The brief of March 18, 2009, whereby the State submitted a report in reply to the request made at the end of the private hearing regarding progress in compliance with the Judgment rendered in the instant case. 9. The brief of April 16, 2009, whereby the representatives submitted their observations on the State’s report (supra Having Seen clause 8). 10. The brief of June 8, 2009, whereby the Inter-American Commission submitted its observations on the State’s report (supra Having Seen clause 8). CONSIDERING: 1. That monitoring compliance with its decisions is a power inherent in the judicial functions of the Court. 2. That Colombia has been a State Party to the American Convention on Human Rights (hereinafter the “American Convention” or the “Convention”) since July 31, 1973 and accepted the binding jurisdiction of the Court on June 21, 1985. 3. That, pursuant to Article 68(1) of the American Convention, “[t]he States Parties to the Convention undertake to comply with the judgment of the Court in any 1 In accordance with Article 6(2) of the existing Rules of Procedure, the Court held a private hearing with a commission of judges made up of: Diego García-Sayán, Vice-President; Manuel VenturaRobles, Judge, and Margarette May Macaulay, Judge. At said hearing there appeared: a) Juan Pablo Albán, on behalf of the Inter-American Commission; b) Rafael Barrios-Medinvil, from “José Alvear Restrepo” Lawyers’ Association, and Michael Camilleri and Francisco Quintana, from the Center for Justice and International Law (CEJIL), on behalf of the beneficiaries; and c) Carlos Franco, Director of the Human Rights Presidential Program, on behalf of the State; Angela Margarita Rey, Director of the Human Rights and International Humanitarian Law Office of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs; Colonel Efraín Aragón, Coordinator of the National Police Human Rights Office; Juana Acosta-López, Institutional Operative Group Coordinator, Ministry of Foreign Affairs; Natalia Salamanca, Advisor to the Human Rights Office, Ministry of Foreign Affairs; and, Diana Bravo, Advisor to the Human Rights Office, Ministry of Foreign Affairs.