Inter-American Court of Human Rights Case of Neira-Alegría et al. v. Peru Judgment of December 11, 1991 (Preliminary Objections) In the case of Neira Alegría et al., the Inter-American Court of Human Rights, composed of the following judges: Héctor Fix-Zamudio, President Thomas Buergenthal, Judge Rafael Nieto-Navia, Judge Julio A. Barberis, Judge Jorge E. Orihuela-Iberico, ad hoc Judge; also present, Manuel E. Ventura-Robles, Secretary and Ana María Reina, Deputy Secretary delivers the following judgment pursuant to Article 27(4) of the Rules of Procedure of the Court (hereinafter “the Rules”) in force for matters submitted to it prior to July 31, 1991, on the preliminary objections interposed by the Government of Peru (hereinafter “the Government” or “Peru”). I 1. The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (hereinafter “the Commission” or “the Inter-American Commission”) submitted the instant case to the Inter-American Court of Human Rights (hereinafter “the Court”) on October 10, 1990. It originated in petition N° 10.078 against Peru. 2. In filing the application with the Court, the Commission invoked Articles 51 and 61 of the American Convention on Human Rights (hereinafter “the Convention” or “the American Convention”) and Article 50 of its Regulations, and requested that the Court determine whether the State in question had violated Articles 1 (Obligation to Respect Rights), 2 (Domestic Legal Effects), 4 (Right to Life), 7 (Right to Personal Liberty), 8 (Right to a Fair Trial), and 25 (Right to Judicial Protection) of the Convention, to the detriment of Messrs. Víctor Neira-Alegría, Edgar Zenteno-Escobar and William Zenteno-Escobar. The Commission also asked the Court “to adjudicate this case in accordance with the terms of the Convention, and to fix responsibility for