High Commissioner for Peace and the International Committee of the Red Cross. 113 His departure from the country was covered by the media.114 97. Mr. Vélez Restrepo filed requests for asylum with the competent authorities in the United States of America for himself and his wife and children. On July 30, 1998, he was notified of his “Asylum Approval” by the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, and on August 14 that year, he received notification that asylum had been granted to his wife, Aracelly Roman Amariles, and their children Mateo and Juliana Vélez Román.115 While awaiting approval of the asylum request, Mr. Vélez Restrepo lived alone in the United States, and Mrs. Román Amariles and their son Mateo (5 years) and their daughter Juliana (2 years) lived in Medellin with the financial support of their families. Mrs. Román Amariles and her daughter Juliana lived with her relatives, and Mateo lived with his paternal grandmother, and they would meet on weekends. 116 The Vélez Román family was separated for almost a year, and was reunited on September 12, 1998, in the United States of America, the country in which they have resided up until the present.117 C) Facts relating to the domestic investigations and the pre-trial administrative conciliation procedure 98. Regarding the facts that occurred on August 29, 1996, in which Mr. Vélez Restrepo was attacked by members of the National Army (supra paras. 80 to 83), disciplinary proceedings were conducted within the Armed Forces and before the Attorney General’s Office (infra paras. 102 to 105), as well as an investigation under the military criminal jurisdiction (infra paras. 106 and 107). 99. Regarding the threats and harassments against Mr. Vélez and his family after the events that occurred on August 29, 1996 (supra paras. 85 to 93), disciplinary investigations were conducted by the Attorney General’s Office (infra paras. 108 to 115) and two criminal investigations were conducted (infra paras. 116 to 119). 100. Mr. Vélez and his family filed a request for administrative conciliation with regard to the attack of August 29, 1996, and the subsequent threats and harassments (infra para. 120). 113 Cf. answer to note No. DDH.GOI No. 38367/1644 sent on June 30, 2009, by the Human Rights Directorate of the Ministry of the Interior and Justice to the Human Rights and International Humanitarian Law Directorate of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, supra nota 110, folio 671; note DH 2190 of July 6, 1998, signed by the Coordinator of the Cases Unit of the Human Rights Council of the Presidency of the Republic addressed to Raúl Hernández, supra nota 107, folio 101, and letter of July 30, 1998, from the Director of the Asylum Division of the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service, addressed to Luis Gonzalo Vélez Restrepo (file of annexes to Merits Report 136/10, Tome I, Annex 27, folio 159). 114 Cf. note No. 3410 of November 29, 1997, of the General Directorate of the Special Administrative Unit for Human Rights of the Ministry of the Interior addressed to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, supra nota 110, folio 75. 115 Cf. letter of the Director of the Asylum Division, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, to Luis Gonzalo Vélez Restrepo dated July 30, 1998, supra note 113, folio 159, and notifications of decision of the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services of August 14, 1998 (file of annexes to Merits Report 136/10, tome I, annex 28, folios 163 to 165). 116 Cf. answer to note No. DDH.GOI No. 38367/1644 sent on June 30, 2009 by the Human Rights Directorate of the Ministry of the Interior and Justice to the Human Rights and International Humanitarian Law Directorate of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, supra note 110, folios 670 and 671; statement made by Aracelly Román Amariles before the Inter-American Court during the public hearing held on February 24, 2012, and statement made by Aracelly Román Amariles on July 25, 2005, before a notary public of the District of Colombia, United States of America (file of annexes to Merits Report 136/10, tome I, annex 16, folio 86, and file of annexes to the pleadings and motions brief, tome II, annex 17, folio 664). 117 Fact accepted by the State. 33