ORDER OF
THE INTER-AMERICAN COURT OF HUMAN RIGHTS
OF SEPTEMBER 19, 1997
EXPANSION OF PROVISIONAL MEASURES
REQUESTED BY THE INTER-AMERICAN COMMISSION
ON HUMAN RIGHTS IN THE MATTER OF GUATEMALA
COLOTENANGO CASE
HAVING SEEN:
1.
The Order of the Inter-American Court of Human Rights (hereinafter "the Court" or
"the Inter-American Court") of June 22, 1994, in which it decided
1.
To require the Government of Guatemala to adopt without delay all necessary measures
to protect the right to life and the personal integrity of PATRICIA ISPANEL MEDIMILLA, MARCOS
GODÍNEZ PÉREZ, NATIVIDAD GODÍNEZ PÉREZ, MARÍA SALES LÓPEZ, RAMIRO GODÍNEZ PÉREZ,
JUAN GODÍNEZ PÉREZ, MIGUEL GODÍNEZ DOMINGO, ALBERTO GODÍNEZ, MARIA GARCÍA
DOMINGO, GONZALO GODÍNEZ LÓPEZ, ARTURO FEDERICO MÉNDEZ ORTIZ, and ALFONSO
MORALES JIMÉNEZ.
2.
To request the Government of Guatemala to adopt all necessary measures to ensure that
the aforementioned persons may continue to reside at or return to their homes in Colotenango,
providing them the assurances that they shall not be persecuted or threatened by agents of the
Government or by individuals.
2.
The Order of the Court of December 1, 1994, in which it accepted the request of the
Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (hereinafter "the Commission" or "the InterAmerican Commission") of October 6 of that year to expand the provisional measures
adopted on behalf of Ms. Francisca Sales Martín.
3.
The Order of the Court of February 1, 1996, in which
[it called upon] the Government of the Republic of Guatemala, further to the measures already in
place, to institute mechanisms of control and vigilance over the civil patrols operating in
Colotenango.
4.
The Order of the Court of April 16, 1997, in which it decided to "[m]aintain the
provisional measures in the instant case" as long as the situation of extreme gravity and
urgency, that gave rise to their adoption, persists.
5.
The request for expansion of provisional measures from the Inter-American
Commission of May 15, 1997, in which it requested that the Court
1.
Reiterate to the State of Guatemala the need to adopt such measures as may be
necessary and effective for safeguarding the lives and physical integrity of the persons named in
the previous orders of the Court: Patricia Ispanel-Medimilla, Marcos Godínez-Pérez, Natividad
Godínez-Pérez, María Sales-López, Ramiro Godínez-Pérez, Juan Godínez-Pérez, Miguel GodínezDomingo, Alberto Godínez, María García-Domingo, Gonzalo Godínez-López, Arturo Federico