4 mechanisms of the inter-American system be activated in a timely and effective manner;” b. “activation becomes even more necessary taking into account that the precautionary measures [requested by the Inter-American Commission] in favor of the social communicators included in the instant request, were unable to impede subsequent physical aggressions, including bullet wounds;” c. “[i]t is especially significant that one of the applicants, who was protected by a precautionary measure of the [Commission], suffered a bullet wound while performing his duties as a journalist on [...] November 11 [,2002];” d. “extreme gravity [...] is evident in connection with the life-threatening danger faced by Luisiana Rios, Armando Amaya, Antonio José Monroy, Laura Castellanos, and Argenis Uribe, all of them media workers at the television station Radio Caracas Televisión (RCTV), who are more exposed to attack and aggression because they work on the streets;” e. “urgency [...] as a temporal requirement for provisional measures to be granted, is found in the existence of a constant state of attacks, threats and aggressions against the social communicators;” f. since the year 2000, “the situation has worsened and there are no indications that harassment against media workers is diminishing,” and g. “[t]he social communicators [...] listed are in a situation of extreme vulnerability because they cover political affairs or massive demonstrations on the streets where they are easily identified and attacked. Current political developments and constant public events force the five media workers included in this request to go out to the streets every day, which places them at grave risk.” CONSIDERING: 1. The State ratified the American Convention on August 9, 1977, and pursuant to article 62 of that Convention, it recognized the contentious jurisdiction of the Court on June 24, 1981. 2. Article 63(2) of the American Convention provides that, in cases of “extreme gravity and urgency, and when necessary to avoid irreparable damage to persons,” the Court may, in matters it has under consideration, adopt such Provisional Measures as it deems pertinent, and in cases not yet submitted to the Court, it may act at the request of the Commission. 3. Pursuant to Article 25(1) and 25(2) of the Rules of Procedure of the Court, [a]t any stage of the proceedings involving cases of extreme gravity and urgency, and when necessary to avoid irreparable damage to persons, the Court may, at the request of a party or on its own motion, order such provisional measures as it deems pertinent, pursuant to Article 63(2) of the Convention.