in the Truth Commission’s report; and e) the actions of the Public Prosecution Service after the Truth Commission issued its report. A. Joffre Antonio Aroca Palma and his family 30. At the time of the events, Joffre Aroca was twenty-one years old, 17 lived in the city of Guayaquil, in Guayas province, and worked as a farmer. 18 His family was made up of Winston Aroca Melgar, father; 19 Perla Palma Sánchez, mother; 20 Cynthia Aroca Palma, sister; 21 Ronald Aroca Palma, brother; 22 Amalia Melgar Solórzano, paternal grandmother; 23 and Amalia Antonieta Aroca Melgar, paternal aunt. 24 B. The events of February 27, 2001 31. On February 27, 2001, at approximately 3:30 a.m., Mr. Aroca Palma was outside his home, in the city of Guayaquil, in the company of friends. A group of police officers detained him (two from the National Police and one from the Metropolitan Police, who were accompanied by a driver). 25 32. According to two of the people who were with him on the day that the events took place, they were playing cards and had not been drinking when Mr. Aroca Palma was detained. The police officers approached them and asked to see their identity cards. Joffre Aroca refused to show them the document, at which point he was detained and put into a police vehicle. They said that one of the police officers smelled of liquor and, when they questioned why they were detaining Mr. Aroca Palma, the officers pushed them away without answering them. 26 33. In their statements, the police officers said they took the group of people drinking liquor in the street by surprise, and proceeded to question and search them, having found “some packets possibly containing drugs” in Joffre Aroca’s possession, which was the reason why they detained him. According to the police officers, they did not fill out a report on the detention, nor did they call it in over the police radio communication system, because the “frequency was busy.” 27 34. After Mr. Aroca Palma was put into the police vehicle, Second Lieutenant Carlos Eduardo Rivera Enríquez of the National Police instructed the driver to go to the headquarters of the 17 Cf. Identification and autopsy of the body of Joffre Antonio Aroca Palma, carried out by the Guayas Forensic Medicine Department on February 27, 2001 (evidence file, volume I, annex 8 to the Merits Report, folios 68 and 69). 18 Cf. Initial petition filed with the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (evidence file, volume II, proceedings before the Commission, folio 361). 19 Cf. Citizenship certificate of Winston Joffre Aroca Melgar (evidence file, volume I, annex 1 to the Merits Report, folio 6). 20 Cf. Citizenship certificate of Perla Annabella Palma Sánchez (evidence file, volume I, annex 1 to the Merits Report, folio 7). 21 Cf. Citizenship certificate of Cynthia Annabella Aroca Palma (evidence file, volume I, annex 1 to the Merits Report, folio 8). 22 Cf. Citizenship certificate of Ronald Byron Aroca Palma (evidence file, volume I, annex 1 to the Merits Report, folio 9). 23 Cf. Citizenship certificate of Amalia Germania Melgar Solórzano (evidence file, volume I, annex 1 to the Merits Report, folio 10). 24 Cf. Citizenship certificate of Amalia Antonieta Aroca Melgar (merits file, volume I, annex to the brief of December 17, 2020, folio 47). 25 Cf. Certificate of expert inspection of the scene of the events of May 21, 2001 (evidence file, volume I, annex 2 to the Merits Report, folio 12); witness statement of Duval Bernardo Orobio Coello of May 9, 2001 (evidence file, volume I, annex 3 to the Merits Report, page 20), and witness statement of Mariuxi Ángela Sani Salcedo of May 9, 2001 (evidence file, volume I, annex 3 to the Merits Report, folio 22). 26 Cf. Witness statement of Duval Bernardo Orobio Coello of May 9, 2001 (evidence file, volume I, annex 3 to the Merits Report, folios 20 and 21), and witness statement of Mariuxi Ángela Sani Salcedo of May 9, 2001 (evidence file, volume I, annex 3 to the Merits Report, folios 22 and 23). 27 Cf. Police investigation report of May 10, 2001 (evidence file, volume I, annex 4 to the Merits Report, folios 34, 35 and 37). 9