The facts of the case concern police operations on May 3rd and 4th in 2006 in the municipalities of Texcoco and San Salvador Atenco within the context of a conflict that arose from the protest by a group of flower-growers. A group of eleven women were subjected to various forms of sexual violence at the time of their arrest and while deprived of liberty.

The sentence of the IA Court analyzes the limits imposed by international human rights law to the use of force by security forces, especially in contexts relating to the exercise of the right of assembly.

It also develops standards about the sexual nature of the violence committed against the women victims of the case including considerations about the verbal abuse to which they were subjected, and addresses the acts of violence from the perspective of torture and its use as an intentional form of social control.

The IA Court also includes in its analysis the behavior of the health professionals who treated the victims. In considering the characteristics of the deprivation of freedom suffered by the women, some specifications were established in relation to the State’s obligations when collective detentions are presumed to have happened.

Lastly, due diligence in relation to the investigations about the facts surrounding sexual violation are analyzed.