-3Serrano Cruz have not been ascertained, and those responsible have not been identified or punished.” The Commission filed the application in this case for the Court to decide whether the State had violated Articles 4 (Right to Life), 7 (Right to Personal Liberty), 18 (Right to a Name) and 19 (Rights of the Child) of the American Convention, in relation to Article 1(1) (Obligation to Respect Rights) thereof, to the detriment of Ernestina and Erlinda Serrano Cruz. The Commission also requested the Court to decide whether the State had violated Articles 5 (Right to Humane Treatment), 8 (Right to a Fair Trial), 17 (Rights of the Family) and 25 (Judicial Protection) of the Convention, in relation to Article 1(1) (Obligation to Respect Rights) thereof, to the detriment of Ernestina and Erlinda Serrano Cruz and of their next of kin. The Commission requested the Court to rule on the international responsibility of the State of El Salvador, for having incurred in a continuing violation of its international obligations “[the] effects [of which…] continue over time owing to the forced disappearance of the [alleged] victims on June 2, 1982, and, particularly, as of June 6, 1995, the date on which the State accepted the contentious jurisdiction of the Court.” II PROCEEDING BEFORE THE COURT2 3. On June 14, 2003, the Inter-American Commission filed an application before the Court (supra para. 1), to which it attached documentary evidence; it also offered testimonial and expert evidence. 4. On September 1, 2003, the representatives of the alleged victims and their next of kin (hereinafter “the representatives”) submitted their requests and arguments brief, to which they attached documentary evidence; they also offered testimonial and expert evidence. 5. On October 31, 2003, the State submitted a brief filing preliminary objections, answering the application, and with observations on the requests and arguments brief, to which it attached documentary evidence; it also offered testimonial and expert evidence. 6. On January 16, 2004, the Commission and the representatives submitted briefs, in which they presented their arguments on the preliminary objections filed by the State. The representatives included appendixes with their brief. 7. On April 1, 2004, the representatives submitted a brief advising that María Victoria Cruz Franco, the alleged victims’ mother, had died on March 30, 2004. 8. On August 23 and 27, 2004, the State forwarded the testimonial statements and expert witness report made before public notary by four witnesses and an expert witness (affidavits). 2 The procedure followed for processing this case before the Inter-American Commission is described in the judgment on preliminary objections delivered by the Court on November 23, 2004. The judgment on preliminary objections also contains the description of the proceedings before the Court up until November 22, 2004; this will not be repeated in this judgment, which will only describe the principal procedural actions. In this regard, cf. Case of the Serrano Cruz Sisters. Preliminary objections. Judgment of November 23, 2004. Series C No. 118, paras. 3-47.