ORDER OF THE PRESIDENT OF THE INTER-AMERICAN COURT OF HUMAN RIGHTS DECEMBER 10, 2010 REQUEST FOR PROVISIONAL MEASURES PRESENTED BY THE INTER-AMERICAN COMMISSION ON HUMAN RIGHTS REGARDING VENEZUELA MATTER OF MARÍA LOURDES AFIUNI HAVING SEEN: 1. The brief by the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (hereinafter “the Inter-American Commission” or “the Commission”) dated November 30, 2010, and its annexes submitting a request to the Inter-American Court of Human Rights (hereinafter “the Inter-American Court” or “the Court”) for provisional measures under Article 63(2) of the American Convention on Human Rights (hereinafter “the American Convention” or “the Convention”) and Article 27 of the Rules of Procedure of the Court (hereinafter "the Rules of Procedure"), requesting that the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela (hereinafter "the State" or "Venezuela") protect the life and personal integrity of Ms. María Lourdes Afiuni. During the 140th Period of Sessions of the Commission, the petitioners ask that this situation be brought before the jurisdiction of the Inter-American Court, pointing to the situation of risk faced by Ms. Afiuni. Thus, through communication dated October 24, 2010, the petitioners presented information on Judge Afiuni’s health situation and the allegedly deficient conditions of her detention. They also reiterated the information on the risks she faces due to threats from other individuals deprived of liberty whom the judge had presumably sent to prison in the exercise of her duties. 2. The background information presented by the Commission with its request for provisional measures, to wit: a) In December 2009, Ms. María Lourdes Afiuni was serving in her position as judge with the 31st Lower Oversight Court of the Caracas Metropolitan Area Judicial Criminal Circuit. On December 11, 2009, Judge Afiuni was accused of the crimes of corruption, abuse of authority, facilitation of escape, and criminal conspiracy following her order, issued while a judge with that tribunal, of provisional freedom for an individual who had been under preventative detention for more than two and a half years. She issued that order on the day prior to the accusation against her. That same day, the President of Venezuela publicly referred to judge Afiuni as a "bandit" and requested her imprisonment and conviction; b) On December 12, 2009, upon presentation of a request from the prosecutor against the judge, she was ordered to be placed under preventative detention and held in the National Institute for Female Corrections (hereinafter "INOF" according to