Order of the Inter-American Court of Human Rights of January 26, 2009 Provisional Measures regarding the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela Matter of Carlos Nieto-Palma et al. HAVING SEEN: 1. The Order of the Inter-American Court of Human Rights (hereinafter, “the Inter-American Court” or “the Court”) of July 9, 2004, whereby the Court ordered provisional measures for the benefit of Carlos Nieto-Palma and his next of kin Ivonne Palma-Sánchez, Eva Teresa Nieto-Palma and John Carmelo Laicono-Nieto. 2. The Order of the Inter-American Court of September 22, 2006, whereby the Court reiterated its order that the State maintain any measures it may have adopted and take forthwith such other measures as may be necessary to effectively protect the life, integrity and liberty of Carlos Nieto-Palma, as well as the life and integrity of Ivonne Palma-Sánchez, Eva Teresa Nieto-Palma and John Carmelo Laicono-Nieto. 3. The Order of the Inter-American Court of July 3, 2007, whereby, among other things, the Court lifted the provisional measures it had ordered in its Order of September 22, 2006 for the benefit of Eva Teresa Nieto-Palma and John Carmelo Laicono-Nieto, and reiterated that the State was to maintain any measures it had adopted and to take forthwith such measures as may be necessary to effectively protect the life, physical integrity and personal liberty of Carlos Nieto-Palma, as well as the life and physical integrity of Yvonne Palma-Sánchez. 4. The Order of the Inter-American Court August 5, 2008, through which, inter alia, the Court decided: 1. To require the State to maintain the necessary measures to protect the life and personal integrity of Carlos Nieto Palma and Ivonne Palma Sánchez, for at least six months from notification of this Order, following which the Court will assess the pertinence of maintaining them in force. 2. To request Carlos Nieto Palma or his representatives to submit, by October 10, 2008, at the latest, their observations on the existence and continuation of the assumptions of extreme gravity and urgency and of possible irreparable damage that justify the need to maintain these provisional measures in force. 3. To require the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights to present to the Inter-American Court of Human Rights its observations on the observations of Mr. Nieto Palma or his representatives that were requested in the preceding operative paragraph, within two weeks of receiving them. Also, to require the State to present a report to the Inter-American Court of Human Rights on the observations of Carlos Nieto Palma and Ivonne Palma Sánchez and of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, within two weeks of receiving them. […]