The request for protection in favor of Mr. Salvador Jerónimo and others concerns the risk to their right to life and physical integrity as witnesses and active members of the Association for Justice and Reconciliation (Asociación para la Justicia y Reconciliación, AJR), a civil society organization that acts as a plaintiff in well-known cases of genocide, crimes against humanity, and war crimes before the courts of Guatemala. It also concerns their participation - as witnesses or observers - at a public hearing around the Massacre Plan de Sánchez case held at the Inter-American Court.

In 2006, the Inter-American Court extended the protection measures to cover the members of the Community Studies and Psychosocial Action Team (Asociación Civil Equipo de Estudios Comunitarios y Acción Psicosocial, ECAP), which supports the reparation process for the victims and survivors of the Massacre Plan de Sánchez case.