CONSIDERING THAT: 1. The Republic of Honduras ratified the American Convention on Human Rights on September 8, 1977, and it accepted the binding jurisdiction of the Court on September 9, 1981, in keeping with Article 62 of the Convention. 2. Article 63(2) of the American Convention establishes that, “In cases of extreme gravity and urgency, and when necessary to avoid irreparable damage to persons, the Court shall adopt such provisional measures as it deems pertinent in matters it has under consideration. With respect to a case not yet submitted to the Court, it may act at the request of the Commission.” This provision is also included in Article 27 of the Court's Rules of Procedure. 3. According to Article 63(2) of the Convention, provisional measures ordered by this Tribunal are binding upon the State pursuant to a basic principle of international law, supported by international case law, under which States are required to comply with international treaty obligations in good faith (pacta sunt servanda).2 4. On July 4, 2009, the Extraordinary Assembly of the Organization of American States (hereinafter, “the OAS”) approved resolution AG/RES. 2 (XXXVII-E/09), in which it decided to suspend the right of the Republic of Honduras to participate in the OAS. The Extraordinary General Assembly emphasized the importance of full respect for human rights in that resolution and decided: To reaffirm that the Republic of Honduras must continue to fulfill its obligations as a member of the Organization, in particular with regard to human rights; and to urge the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights to continue to take all necessary measures to protect and defend human rights and fundamental freedoms in Honduras;3 5. According to the provisions of Article 9(e) of the OAS Charter, as well as the provisions of the Preamble and articles 8 and 21 of the Inter-American Democratic Charter, international obligations in relation to human rights derived from the American Convention remain in place by virtue of the principle of pacta sunt servanda, as well as the principles that inspire the mechanism of collective guarantees established in the OAS Charter and the Convention; therefore, such obligations are not suspended, not even when there has been an alteration of the institutional order in a State Party, nor in the case of events such as those that took place in Honduras. 6. According to International Human Rights Law, provisional measures are not only precautionary, in the sense that they preserve a legal situation, but also fundamentally protective, as they protect human rights insofar as they avoid irreparable damage to persons. The order to adopt measures is applicable provided the basic requirements of extreme gravity and urgency and the prevention of irreparable damage to persons are 2 Cf. Matter of James et al. Provisional Measures regarding Trinidad and Tobago. Order of the InterAmerican Court of Human Rights of June 14, 1998, Considering 6. Matter of Mery Naranjo et al. Provisional Measures regarding Colombia. Order of the Inter-American Court of Human Rights of November 25, 2010, Considering 4, and Matter of Alvarado Reyes et al. Provisional Measures regarding Mexico. Order of the InterAmerican Court of Human Rights of November 26, 2010, Considering 4. 3 OAS, Extraordinary General Assembly, Resolution AG/ RES 2 (XXXVII-E/09) of July 4, 2009, operative paragraphs 1 and 2. Available at http://www.oas.org/CONSEJO/SP/AG/37SGA.asp#docs. 10