The events of the case relate to the extrajudicial execution of 37 inmates on November 27, 1992, in the Catia Detention Center, Caracas. The events occurred in a framework of serious civil riot at a national level and extreme political unrest, provoked by the second attempt at a coup d’état against the administration of the then President Carlos Andrés Pérez, carried out by a civilian-military group formed by high-ranking officers of the four branches of the Armed Forces and several civilian opponents. In this context, National Guard and Metropolitan Police Officers intervened the penitentiary and exercising excessive force, shot indiscriminately at the inmates, resulting in the death of more than 60 prisoners, 52 injured and 28 disappeared.

Venezuela recognized its international responsibility for the reported events. The IA Court established standards regarding the use of force by State security bodies and regarding penitentiary conditions and the State’s obligation to guarantee the right to humane treatment.