3 5. On October 11, 2000 the Center for Justice and International Law and the Association Casa Alianza Latin America (hereinafter “the petitioners”) presented before the Inter-American Commission a petition, which was processed under the number 12,331. 6. On February 27, 2002, the Inter-American Commission approved Admissibility Report No. 16/02, in which it declared the admissibility of the case. 7. On October 19, 2004 the Commission, during its 121° Regular Meeting, approved Report of Merits No. 74/04, pursuant to Article 50 of the Convention, through which it concluded that the State is responsible for the violation of the rights enshrined in Articles 4(1) (Right to Life), 5(1) and 5(2) (Right to Humane Treatment), 7 (Right to Personal Liberty), 8(1) (Right to a Fair Trial), and 25 (Right to Judicial Protection) of the American Convention, in relation to Article 1(1) (Obligation to Respect Rights) of said treaty, in detriment of Marco Antonio Servellón García, Rony Alexis Betancourth Vásquez, Orlando Álvarez Ríos, and Diomedes Obed García Sánchez, and Articles 5(5) (Right to Humane Treatment) and 19 (Rights of the Child) of the Convention, in detriment of the alleged underage victims. Likewise, the State is responsible for the violation of Articles 5 (Right to Humane Treatment), 8(1) (Right to a Fair Trial), and 25 (Right to Judicial Protection) of the Convention, in relation to Article 1(1) (Obligation to Respect Rights) of said instrument, in detriment of the next of kin of the alleged victims. At the same time, the Commission recommended that the State adopt a series of measures in order to correct the mentioned violations. 8. On November 2, 2004 the Inter-American Commission transmitted Report of Merits No. 74/04 to the State and granted it a two-month period to inform on the measures adopted in order to comply with the recommendations made. On that same day, the Commission informed the petitioners of the approval of the report and its transmission to the State and requested that they present their position regarding the assertion of the case before the Inter-American Court. On December 2, 2004 the petitioners requested that the case be submitted before the Court. 9. On January 13, 2005 the State presented information, in which it referred to the measures adopted regarding the recommendations included in the Report of Merits No. 74/04. 10. On February 1, 2005 the Commission decided to submit the present case to the jurisdiction of this Tribunal. IV PROCEEDING BEFORE THE COURT 11. On February 2, 2005 the Commission submitted the application to the Court, and it included documentary evidence as well as testimonial evidence and expert assessments. The Commission appointed Evelio Fernández Arévalo and Santiago A. Canton as delegates, and Ariel Dulitzky, Martha Braga, Victor Madrigal Borloz, and Manuela Cuvi Rodríguez as legal advisors. 12. On March 2, 2005 the Secretariat of the Court (hereinafter “the Secretariat”), prior preliminary examination of the application by the President of the Court