INTER-AMERICAN COURT OF HUMAN RIGHTS CASE OF GRANDE V. ARGENTINA JUDGMENT OF AUGUST 31, 2011 (Preliminary Objections and Merits) In the Case of Grande, the Inter-American Court of Human Rights (hereinafter “the Inter-American Court” or “the Court”), composed of the following judges:* Diego García-Sayán, President Manuel E. Ventura Robles, Judge Margarette May Macaulay, Judge Rhadys Abreu Blondet, Judge Alberto Pérez Pérez, Judge, and Eduardo Vio Grossi, Judge, also present:∗∗ Pablo Saavedra Alessandri, Secretary, pursuant to Articles 62(3) and 63(1) of the American Convention on Human Rights (hereinafter, “the Convention” or “the American Convention”) and Articles 31, 32, 42, 65 and 67 of the Rules of Procedure of the Court∗∗∗ (hereinafter “the Rules of Procedure”), delivers this Judgment. * The Vice President of the Court, Judge Leonardo A. Franco, an Argentine national, did not take part in this case pursuant to Article 19(1) of the Court’s Rules of Procedure, according to which, “[i]n the cases referred to in Article 44 of the Convention, a judge who is a national of the respondent State may not participate in the hearing and deliberation of the case.” ∗∗ The Deputy Secretary, Emilia Segares Rodríguez, advised the Court that, for reasons beyond her control, she would be unable to attend the deliberation of this judgment. ∗∗∗ The Rules of Procedure of the Court applied in this case are those that were approved in the Court’s eighty-fifty regular session held from November 16 to 28, 2009, which entered into force on January 1, 2010, pursuant to Article 78 thereof. This is notwithstanding Article 79(1) of the Rules of Procedure, which establishes that “[i]n cases in which the Commission has adopted a report under article 50 of the Convention before the these Rules of Procedure have come into force, the presentation of the case before the Court will be governed by Articles 33 and 34 of the Rules of Procedure previously in force. Statements shall be received with the aid of the Victim’s Legal Assistance Fund, and the dispositions of these Rules of Procedure shall apply.” The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights issued the Report on Merits in this case on November 10, 2009 (infra para. 2).