TABLE OF CONTENTS I. INTRODUCTION OF THE CASE AND PURPOSE OF THE DISPUTE ............................................................................. 5 II. PROCEEDINGS BEFORE THE COURT ...................................................................................................................... 6 III. COMPETENCE ....................................................................................................................................................... 9 IV. PARTIAL ACKNOWLEDGEMENT OF INTERNATIONAL RESPONSIBILITY ............................................................... 9 A. Declarations by the State ........................................................................................................................................ 9 B. Observations of the representatives and of the Commission...................................................................................... 12 C. Considerations of the Court ................................................................................................................................... 13 V. PRELIMINARY OBJECTIONS ................................................................................................................................. 16 A. Alleged lack of material competence due to the need to apply international humanitarian law ...................................... 17 A.1) Arguments of the State and observations of the Commission and the representatives..................................... 17 A.2) Considerations of the Court ..................................................................................................................... 18 B. Alleged lack of competence of the Court to examine violations of the Inter-American Convention on Forced Disappearance with regard to Ana Rosa Castiblanco..................................................................................................... 19 B.1) Arguments of the State and observations of the Commission and the representatives..................................... 19 B.2) Considerations of the Court ..................................................................................................................... 19 VI. PRELIMINARY CONSIDERATIONS....................................................................................................................... 20 A. The factual framework of the case.......................................................................................................................... 20 A.1) Arguments of the parties......................................................................................................................... 20 A.2) Considerations of the Court ..................................................................................................................... 21 B. Request to carry out a control of legality of the actions of the Inter-American Commission .......................................... 23 B.1) Arguments of the State and of the Commission.......................................................................................... 23 B.2) Considerations of the Court ..................................................................................................................... 24 VII. EVIDENCE .......................................................................................................................................................... 24 A. Documentary, testimonial and expert evidence ....................................................................................................... 24 B. Admission of the evidence ..................................................................................................................................... 25 B.1) Admission of the documentary evidence ..................................................................................................... 25 B.2) Admission of the testimonial and expert evidence ........................................................................................ 28 C. Assessment of the evidence .................................................................................................................................. 30 VIII. FACTS ............................................................................................................................................................... 31 A. Background to the taking of the Palace of Justice..................................................................................................... 34 B. The events of November 6 and 7, 1985 .................................................................................................................. 35 C. The presumed victims in this case .......................................................................................................................... 40 C.1) The forced disappearance of Carlos Augusto Rodríguez Vera and Irma Franco Pineda ........................................ 40 C.2) The other presumed victims of forced disappearance .................................................................................... 42 C.2.a) Cristina del Pilar Guarín Cortés .......................................................................................................... 43 C.2.b) David Suspes Celis .......................................................................................................................... 43 C.2.c) Bernardo Beltrán Hernández.............................................................................................................. 43 C.2.d) Héctor Jaime Beltrán Fuentes ............................................................................................................ 44 C.2.e) Gloria Stella Lizarazo Figueroa ........................................................................................................... 44 C.2.f) Luz Mary Portela León....................................................................................................................... 45 C.2.g) Norma Constanza Esguerra Forero ..................................................................................................... 45 C.2.h) Lucy Amparo Oviedo Bonilla .............................................................................................................. 45 C.2.i) Gloria Anzola de Lanao ...................................................................................................................... 46 C.2.j) Ana Rosa Castiblanco Torres .............................................................................................................. 46 C.2.k) Carlos Horacio Urán Rojas................................................................................................................. 47 C.3) The detention and torture of Yolanda Santodomingo Albericci and Eduardo Matson Ospino ................................. 47 C.4) The other presumed victims of detention and torture.................................................................................... 49 C.4.a) Orlando Quijano .............................................................................................................................. 49 C.4.b) José Vicente Rubiano Galvis .............................................................................................................. 49 D. The processing of the crime scene ......................................................................................................................... 50 E. The autopsies and the identification of the bodies .................................................................................................... 52 F. The investigation of the events .............................................................................................................................. 53 2

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