The facts of the case refer to the cruel, inhumane and degrading treatment that Teodoro Cabrera García and Rodolfo Montiel Flores were subjected to whilst they were being detained in custody by the Army, for the alleged crimes of carrying weapons intended for the exclusive use of the Army without a license and for growing poppies and marijuana, in addition to the violation of judicial guarantees during the criminal proceedings against them.

The IA Court placed the events in a context of significant military presence in the Guerrero region during the 90s, as a State response to drug trafficking and the presence of armed groups such as the Zapatista National Liberation Army (EZLN) and the Popular Revolutionary Army (EPR).

The IA Court developed standards regarding the duty to investigate acts of torture, the exclusion of evidence obtained under duress and the competence of military criminal courts to hear a case of this nature.