II. PROCEEDINGS BEFORE THE COMMISSION 5. On September 20, 2004 the Commission received the initial petition submitted by the nongovernmental Comisión de Derechos Humanos de Justicia y Paz del Estado Aragua. On December 1, 2004 the Commission transmitted the pertinent portions of the petition to the Venezuelan State requesting a response within two months. 6. On February 2, 2005 the State wrote to the Commission requesting an extension for presenting its observations on the petition. On February 9, 2005 the Commission sent a communication to the State informing it that the time limit had been extended for one month. 7. On March 9, 2005 the Commission received the State's response to the initial petition. On March 31, 2005 the State's response was sent to the petitioners, giving them one month to submit any observations. 8. On April 28, 2005 the Commission received a request from the petitioners for an additional month to submit their observations. On April 29, 2005 the Commission granted that extension. 9. On May 26, 2005 the Commission received the petitioners' observations on the State's response. On June 1, 2005 the Commission transmitted to the State the relevant portions of the petitioners' letter, with one month of time to present its observations. 10. On July 18, 2005 the State requested an extension for presenting its observations on the petitioners' letter. On August 10, 2005 the Commission granted the State an additional month to submit its observations. 11. On August 11, 2005 the Commission received a report from the petitioners indicating that the Center for Justice and International Law (CEJIL) was constituting itself as co-petitioner in the case. On October 4, 2005 the Commission reported this to the State, giving it one month to submit its observations. 12. On September 16, 2005 the Commission received the State's observations. On October 4, 2005 it transmitted these observations to the petitioners, giving them one month to submit their observations. 13. On June 26, 2006 the Commissioner informed the State that petition no. 425 of 2006 had been added to the present one. On January 30, 2007 the Commission informed the parties that, in light of the specific circumstances of each case, it had decided to separate them again for purposes of analyzing their compliance with the admissibility requirements. 14. On July 12, 2007 the Commission received additional information from the petitioners. On August 13, 2007 the Commission sent that information to the State, and asked it to present its observations within one month. At the time this report was approved, the State had not submitted its observations. 15. On October 17, 2007 the Commission received a note from the petitioner, asking for the procedural state of the petition. On December 10, 2007 the Commission sent a response indicating that the petition was in admissibility stage. III. POSITION OF THE PARTIES A. The petitioners 16. According to the petitioners, on November 17, 1996 at 3:30 p.m. Mr. Igmar Alexander Landaeta Mejías was walking along Las Flores Street in the Sarman de Guere neighborhood of the town of Santiago Mariño, State of Aragua, when police officers of the Police Command 9 of 2