5 24. The petitioners state that they immediately informed the COPDH, and that the COPDH concluded that Mr. Vélez and his family should leave the country as soon as possible. They indicate that on October 9, 1997, by reason of the "attempted forced disappearance" and the Presidential Council for Human Rights' recommendation, Mr. Vélez Restrepo left Colombia with the support of the International Committee of the Red Cross and sought asylum in the United States, since his life was in imminent danger. The rest of his family moved to Medellín to seek protection while they applied for asylum. 25. The petitioners stress that as a consequence of the threats, the acts of harassment, intimidation and the "attempted forced disappearance", the professional career of Mr. Vélez Restrepo has been affected and he was finally forced to leave his country in October 1997. They allege that "the news program put intense pressure on Mr. Vélez to tone down his work and encouraged him not to pursue any legal action relating to the attack and subsequent threats." They also allege that after the attack suffered on August 29, 1996, he was "forced to withdraw from a special group of reporters who were permitted access to sources of military news", and that these factors seriously compromised his professional career. 26. The petitioners indicate that for the same reasons highlighted in the preceding paragraph, Mrs. Aracelly Román, Mr. Vélez Restrepo's wife, also had to compromise her profession life since she was forced to abandon her studies. The children, provisionally, had to leave the school they attended and remain for much of the time hidden at home without being able to meet friends, that produced strong feelings of fear and anxiety that prevented them from enjoying a normal childhood. Due to this series of events, the whole family were affected and even had to resort to individual and marital psychological therapy when their precarious economic situation permitted. 27. The petitioners indicate that in 1998, asylum status was granted to Mr. Vélez and his family, who remained hidden in Medellín until September 12, 1998. The petitioners stress that during the year the family were separated Mateo Vélez Román and Juliana Vélez Román's integrity was profoundly affected. During this time, for economic reasons, Aracelly Román had to live apart from her son Mateo and neither she nor the children were able to receive medical treatment. 28. The petitioners describe that they live in a strange country, far from their family, friends and culture. They state that in Colombia they were economically stable and were even owners of their own home. They state that due to the disruption caused by their exile, Mr. Vélez Restrepo went from being a member of a recognized group of Colombian journalists to being unemployed, looking for any work to be able to provide for his family. The petitioners point out that during nearly a decade, until 2007, they were not able to visit Colombia, and that during this period, Mr. Vélez Restrepo's mother died. 29. The petitioners maintain that both Mr. Vélez Restrepo and Mrs. Aracelly Román had to abandon their careers, suffering radical changes in their financial situation as a result of their enforced exile. They underline that it has been difficult for Mr. Vélez Restrepo to find work as a journalist in the United States, and today he is completely isolated from his profession. They indicate that the acts of violence against Mr. Vélez Restrepo, aimed at silencing him, forced him to practice self-censorship and have generated deep feelings of pain and frustration. On the Proceedings Undertaken in the Domestic Jurisdiction 30. The petitioners stress that by virtue of the physical attacks inflicted on Mr. Vélez Restrepo on August 29, 1996, and of the subsequent threats, acts of harassment and intimidation suffered by him and his family, and of the "attempted forced disappearance" of which Mr. Vélez