The facts of the case refer to the forced disappearance of Edgar Fernando García, trade unionist and student leader, following his arrest on February 18, 1994, by members of the Special Operations Brigade of the National Police. The IA Court placed the events in a context of internal violence in the country during which the intelligence services played a particularly important role as being responsible for gathering and reviewing information on those people considered “internal enemies.”

The IA Court applied criteria regarding forced disappearance as a multiple and permanent violation of rights and the State’s obligation to investigate them. Furthermore, it developed standards regarding trade union freedom as a form of freedom of association in the framework of a State pattern of capturing and eliminating leaders of trade unions and student organizations.