ORDER OF THE INTER-AMERICAN COURT OF HUMAN RIGHTS∗ OF SEPTEMBER 8, 2003 PROVISIONAL MEASURES REQUESTED BY THE INTER-AMERICAN COMMISSION ON HUMAN RIGHTS IN THE MATTER OF THE BOLIVARIAN REPUBLIC OF VENEZUELA CASE OF MARTA COLOMINA AND LILIANA VELÁSQUEZ HAVING SEEN: 1. The July 21, 2003 communication and its annexes, in which the InterAmerican Commission on Human Rights (hereinafter “the Inter-American Commission” or “the Commission”) submitted to the Inter-American Court of Human Rights (hereinafter “the Inter-American Court” or “the Court”), pursuant to Articles 63(2) of the American Convention on Human Rights (hereinafter “the Convention” or “the American Convention”) and 25 of the Rules of Procedure of the Court (hereinafter “the Rules of Procedure”), a request for provisional measures for the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela (hereinafter “the State” or “Venezuela”) “to protect the life, the right to humane treatment and freedom of expression of journalists Marta Colomina and Liliana Velásquez, who suffered an attempt against their lives at daybreak on June 27, 2003, when they were going toward the television channel TELEVEN to present their daily program “La Entrevista”. 2. The grounds given by the Inter-American Commission for its request for provisional measures, as follows: a. in notes dated February 1 and March 5, 8 and 19, 2002, the Commission received a request for precautionary measures in favor of Venezuelan journalists Ibéyise Pacheco, Patricia Poleo, Marianela Salazar and Marta Colomina, who on January 30, 2002 broadcast a video revealing conversations between the Venezuelan Army and the Colombian guerrilla forces. The day after the video was broadcast, an explosive artifact was thrown from two motor vehicles to the door of the daily newspaper “Así es la Noticia”, directed by Ibéyise Pacheco. The artifact exploded and destroyed the main access door to the building. The applicants also pointed out that they found pamphlets on the street with threats against the journalists, and that minutes afterwards individuals who identified themselves as members of the “Movimiento Revolucionario Tupacamaru” called the telephone exchange at the daily. b. due to the above, on March 22, 2003 the Inter-American Commission ordered the following precautionary measures in favor of journalists Marta Colomina, Ibéyise Pacheco, Patricia Poleo and Marianela Salazar, pursuant to Article 25(1) of its Rules of Procedure: ∗ Judges Pacheco Gómez and de Roux Rengifo informed the Court that for reasons of force majeure they could not attend the deliberation, decision, and signing of the instant Order.