I INTRODUCTION OF THE CASE AND PURPOSE OF THE DISPUTE 1. The case submitted to the Court. - On March 11, 2021, the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (hereinafter "the Inter-American Commission" or "the Commission") submitted to the jurisdiction of the Court the case of Alejandro Nissen Pessolani against the Republic of Paraguay (hereinafter also "the State" or "Paraguay"). The Commission indicated that the case is related to the alleged responsibility of the State for the violation of a series of judicial guarantees in the framework of a process followed against Alejandro Nissen Pessolani by the Jury for the Impeachment of Magistrates (hereinafter also "JEM") that determined the removal of his position as Criminal Prosecutor. 2. Procedure before the Commission. - The procedure before the Commission was as follows: a) Petition. - On December 27, 2004, the Commission received the initial petition filed by Alejandro Nissen Pessolani. b) Admissibility report. - On July 24, 2014, the Commission approved Admissibility Report No. 60/14. Said Report was notified to the parties on August 18, 2014. c) Merits Report. – On October 29, 2020, the Commission approved the Merits Report No. 301/20. It concluded that Paraguay was responsible for the violation of the rights to judicial guarantees, principle of legality, freedom of expression and judicial protection, enshrined in Articles 8(1), 8(2)(b), 8(2)(c), 8(2)(h), 9, 13(1), 13(2), 23(1)(c) and 25(1) of the American Convention in relation to the obligations established in Articles 1(1) and 2 thereof, to the detriment of Alejandro Nissen Pessolani, and various recommendations were made to the State. d) Notification to the State. - On December 11, 2020, the Commission notified the State with Merits Report No. 301/20, granting it a period of two months to report on compliance with the recommendations. In its response, Paraguay rejected the Commission's conclusions and recommendations, considering that the State's actions in the context of the facts of this case were in accordance with the applicable legal and constitutional rules. By virtue of the foregoing, the Commission decided to submit the case to the Inter-American Court "taking into account the need to obtain justice and reparation for the [alleged] victim.” 3. Submission to the Court. - On March 11, 2021, the Commission1 submitted the totality of the facts and human rights violations described in the Merits Report No. 301/20 to the jurisdiction of the Inter-American Court. This Court notes with concern that more than sixteen years elapsed between lodging the initial petition to the Commission and submitting the case to the Court. 4. Requests of the Commission. – Based on the above, the Commission asked the Court to declare the international responsibility of the State for the same violations indicated in its Merits Report (supra para. 2(c)). Likewise, the Commission requested 1 As its delegate before the Court, the Commission appointed Commissioner Edgar Stuardo Ralón Orellana and the then Deputy Executive Secretary Marisol Blanchard Vera, as well as Jorge Humberto Meza Flores, then specialist of the Executive Secretariat and Daniela Saavedra, specialist of the Executive Secretariat of the Commission as legal advisors. 3